16 killed in courthouse attack

At least 16 people have been killed after nine al-Shabab militants stormed Somalia's main court complex while the Supreme Court was in session.

The assault was the most serious in the city since al-Shabab militants were forced out of the capital in August 2011.

The attack on the Supreme Court complex began at around 12:30pm, sparking running battles with police and army forces. All nine militants are said to have been killed in the attack.

Two bomb blasts were heard and gunmen were seen on a court building roof firing shots, said an Associated Press reporter.

Police officer Hassan Abdulahi said he saw five dead bodies lying at the entrance to the court.

The militants took an unknown number of hostages during the siege. Many other government workers and civilians in the court complex hid, fearing for their lives.

Later, a suicide car bomber rammed a vehicle carrying Turkish citizens.

Interior Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled said nine militants attacked the court complex, and that six of them detonated suicide vests. Three others were shot and killed during the assault, he said.

Guled said he couldn't immediately provide an overall death toll that included government officials and civilians.