UPDATE- 9 killed in suicide car bomb attack in Somali capital

ADDS TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT

By Hassan Istiila and Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least nine people were killed in a suspected suicide car bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, according to a police official.

The explosion took place outside Wadajir district headquarters, opposite the busy Suuqa-weyn marketplace.

“The death toll may rise further; most of the dead are civilians,” Police Capt. Mohamed Abdi said.

Eyewitness Mohamed Abdirahman told Anadolu Agency he saw several injured people on the ground at the blast site.

Al-Shabaab terrorists said they were behind the blast, which according to the group took place when intelligence officials were meeting at district headquarters.

Turkey issued a strong condemnation of the "heinous terrorist attack".

In a written statement late Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry wished a speedy recovery to the wounded and conveyed condolences to people who lost loved ones.

"Turkey will continue to stand by the Somali people and its Government in the fight against terrorism," the statement stressed.

The blast came less than a week after al-Shabaab militants stormed a pizza restaurant in the capital, killing at least 31 people.

The al-Qaeda-linked group has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the country's Western-backed government.