Mogadishu, Apr 23 (IANS): At least three people were killed and eight others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a popular beach restaurant in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, a police official said on Saturday.

Police spokesman Abdifitah Aden Hassan said the wounded were rushed to a hospital after the security forces controlled the new Pescatore Seafood restaurant, which recently opened on Lido Beach and is frequented by celebrities, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said the security officers who rushed to the scene prevented other al-Shabab fighters who attempted to force their way into the restaurant after the blast, which happened at 8.40 p.m.

Aden told reporters that security forces rescued a police commissioner who was inside the restaurant for evening meals along with 11 MPs.

"An investigation is underway to establish the motive of the attack," he said.

Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based jihadist group active in East Africa, has claimed responsibility for the latest attack in the capital, saying its fighters were targeting senior government officials.