Government sources told Al Jazeera that 7 people were killed and at least 8 others were wounded in an explosion near a security checkpoint in Hamraween district, south of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Eyewitnesses said that the explosion was caused by a car bomb that was trying to cross the security barrier, which is about two kilometers from the presidential palace.
The "Mujahideen Youth" movement claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Her media office said she used a car bomb in the attack.
Al-Shabaab stated that Somali government officials were at the scene at the time of the attack.
For years, Somalia has been waging a war against Al-Shabab, which was founded in early 2004, an armed movement ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda and has adopted many operations that have claimed hundreds of lives.