Former Somali minister killed in car blast

A former Somali defence minister was killed on Monday in a car explosion in Mogadishu, police said.

Muhidin Mohamad Haji Ibrahim, who served under the government in 2008, was killed as an explosive device fitted in his car exploded, Xinhua quoted a police official as saying.

"I can confirm that the deceased died on the spot when the car exploded at a busy junction," he said.

Several lawmakers and ministers have been killed in the past in similar incidents, for which Somali militant group Al-Shabaab usually claimed responsibility.