Mogadishu, March 27 (IANS): At least five people were killed and scores injured in a suicide car explosion in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Friday, police said.

A police officer who requested anonymity said the car exploded at the gate of Maka Al Mukarama Hotel, killing five people and injuring many others, Xinhua news agency reported. The hotel has been a target of similar attacks in the recent past.

Witnesses at the scene also confirmed seeing the car explode at the entrance of the hotel, which left a trail of blood and death in the vicinity. Gunfire could be heard from the scene after the explosion.

The attack comes barely a day after police seized a cache of weapons and explosives in a house in the capital during a raid. Police also confiscated other weapons in a car in the city on Thursday.

No one has claimed responsibility over the attack, but the militant group Al Shabaab has in many occasions carried out such attacks, targeting government installations and staff.