Suicide Bomber Kills 17 at Somalia Police Academy

Col. Mohamud Aden said that 20 other officers were wounded by the blast, some of them seriously, Arab News reported.

The bomber, with explosives strapped around his waist and torso, infiltrated Gen. Kahiye Police Academy and targeted officers gathering for special morning exercises, Capt. Mohamed Hussein said.

he officers were rehearsing for Somalia’s Police Day celebrations scheduled for December 20, Hussein added.

Hussein underlined that the bomber walked into the police academy undetected and joined a long line of officers in the rehearsal parade before he detonated the explosives under his sportswear.

“He detonated his bomb vest having realized that his presence had drawn suspicion among officers in the queue,” he said.

Police officer Farah Omar who was at the scene at the time of the blast added that the bomber targeted a spot where dozens of soldiers had gathered.

“He wanted to inflict a maximum damage,” Omar said.

The Somalia-based Al-Shabab extremist group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is allied to Al-Qaeda, carries out frequent bombings and attacks against hotels, checkpoints and other high-profile areas of Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab has been blamed for the massive truck bombing in the capital in October that left 512 dead. Only a few attacks since 9/11 have killed more people.