Suicide bomber kills 3, including a child, in Mogadishu

A Somali official says a suicide bomber killed at least three civilians, including a young boy, at a restaurant in Somalia's capital Wednesday evening.

Ismail Mukhtar, the spokesman for Somalia's information ministry, told The Associated Press that seven other people were injured when the bomber detonated a suicide vest outside the restaurant near a security checkpoint close to the Presidential palace in Mogadishu.

Ambulance sirens could be heard as police officers sealed off the area, according to Col Ahmed Aden, a police officer.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. However, the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group often carries out such attacks.