At least five people were killed in Mogadishu on Tuesday after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near a police academy, according to a Somali Police official.

Spokesperson Sadiq Adan Ali said eight other people were wounded in the blast in the Somali capital.

He said the bomber targeted a restaurant frequented by police.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group often targets Mogadishu.

Experts for the United Nations have warned that the al-Qaida-affiliated group is improving its explosives-making skills.

Al-Shabab remains the most active and resilient extremist group in Africa, controlling parts of southern and central Somalia.

It has fired several mortars this year at the heavily defended international airport, where the US Embassy and other missions are located.