Suicide Bomber Detonates Near Somalia’s Presidential Palace

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – 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. A police spokesman says 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 bombing occurred as Somali politicians argue over how to hold a delayed national election once set for Feb. 8. Some argue that the president has overstayed his mandate. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group has threatened to attack the polls.