Mogadishu — An explosion occurred last night within a house in the Shirkole neighborhood of the Hodan district in Mogadishu amid tight security measures.

The explosion from an IED was aimed to assassinate the former commander of the Hodan District Police Station, Abdifitah Qoslaye. He escaped unharmed from the bombing.

Qoslaye was recently sacked after one of his guards killed a businessman in the city.

The police confirmed the death of 4 people from the commander's bodyguards, while a number of others were injured, who are currently being treated at a local hospital.

One person said to be responsible for the attack who was arrested in his house by the security forces following an overnight explosion.

The bomb attack comes at a time the security of the capital Mogadishu has been improving recently, thanks to paramilitary police trained in Uganda, who are in charge of the city.

Security measures in Mogadishu included checkpoints along the main roads and the entrance points as well as a visibly increased police presence in the sensitive areas.