Three killed after suicide bomber detonates near Somalia's presidential palace

Police say a suicide bomber died and seven civilians were wounded when a vehicle exploded near a checkpoint outside the presidential palace in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

At least three people including a suicide bomber were killed and eight others wounded after a car bomb detonated near a security checkpoint outside the presidential palace in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu Saturday, security official and witnesses said.

Police spokesman Sadiq Ali Adan told AP the driver defied orders to stop on Saturday morning, and police opened fire as passersby ran for their lives. He says more than a dozen vehicles were destroyed in the blast.

"The police were chasing the hostile vehicle after spotting it a few kilometres away from where it exploded. Three civilians died according to the information we have received so far and eight others are wounded," security official Abdirahman Mohamed told AFP.

"The police opened fire on the vehicle and chased it and this has allowed many people to flee away from road. This has really limited the number of casualties the blast could have caused," he added.

This latest bombing occurred as Somali politicians argue over how to hold a national election. The vote had been scheduled for February 8, and some argue that President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has overstayed his mandate. He seeks a second four-year term. More talks on the election crisis are set for Monday.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group based in Somalia often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu. It has threatened to attack the polls.

Witnesses said they heard gunfire and saw vehicles and three-wheel tuk-tuks scatter before the heavy blast occurred.

"I was at a gym close to where the blast occurred, but thanks to God we have heard the gunshots before the blast. And this alerted many people including myself and we fled from the area to take cover before the vehicle reached the area of the explosion," Dahir Osman, a witness said.

"The blast was huge, I was inside a shop and I saw police chasing a vehicle on the wrong side of the road. It crashed into several vehicles and tuk-tuks before it exploded close to the checkpoint as police continued opening fire on the vehicle," said another witness, Aisha Ahmed.

Mogadishu is regularly targeted with attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group who have been waging a long and violent insurgency seeking to unseat the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.

They were driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, but still, control swathes of territory from where they plan and launch frequent, deadly strikes against the government and civilian targets.