Car bomber kills at least 17 in Somali capital

July 22 (UPI) -- At least 17 people were killed and more than two dozen were injured Monday when a suicide bomber blew up his car near a Mogadishu hotel, authorities said.

Witnesses said the bomber was turned away from a security checkpoint at Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle International Airport, and was waiting in line at another when the bomb exploded.

At least 28 people were injured in the attack, several critically.

Al-Shabab militants claimed responsibility. Authorities in Somalia have been concerned about retaliatory strikes for days, since the death last week of the terror group's senior intelligence officer, Mohamed Nur Ikhlaas.

Al-Shabab has been fighting the Western-backed government in Somalia for years.