Suicide bomber kills 17 at Somali police academy

A suicide bomber on Thursday killed at least 17 people at a Somali police academy after disguising himself as an officer to access the premises. Capt. Mohamed Hussein said the suicide bomber, who strapped explosives around his waist and torso, dressed as a police officer and walked into the Gen. Kahiye Police Academy in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. He detonated the explosives after joining a long line of officers during a rehearsal parade for Police Day celebrations next week. Col. Mohamud Aden said another 20 officers sustained injuries, some more serious than others. The Somali-based extremist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities in Somalia blamed the al-Qaeda-linked group for the October truck bombing that killed 512 people.