Somali officials say at least 10 people were killed Monday when a suicide bomber blew up his car in the center of the capital, Mogadishu.
At least 10 people were injured in the blast, which happened near Somalia's national theater.
One of those killed in the explosion was journalist Mohammed Ali Nuxurkey who worked for VOA's bureau in Nairobi, Kenya. The 29-year-old Nuxurkey also worked for a private radio station in Mogadishu.
A police spokesman, Abdullahi Hassan Bariise, told VOA's Somali Service that the suicide bomber apparently targeted a car carrying Mogadishu's security chief and several other intelligence officials.
Instead, the blast struck a mini-bus, killing some of the passengers, including several schoolchildren.
The militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the explosion.
The Somali capital has been slowly returning to normal since al-Shabab was driven out of the city in 2011. However, militants still carry out periodic suicide attacks and kidnappings.