Mogadishu: As many as 13 people were killed in the central Somali town of Beledweyne on Saturday, state television said.
According to reports, a suicide bomber blew themselves up in a restaurant that witnesses said was packed with local officials and politicians.
The al Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a report by SITE intelligence, which monitors militants groups online.
Police and government officials confirmed the restaurant attack was the result of a suicide bomb but did not give the number of casualties.
The recent attacks by al Shabaab could present more problems for the election, which has been delayed by a year.
