article_snippet: At least nine people were killed in the initial blast, while an unknown number of government officials remain trapped inside the building amid sporadic exchanges of gunfire, officials have said.
article_snippet: Police captain Mohamed Hussein stands next to the wreckage of a car a suicide bomber used to kill at least nine people .
article_snippet: Police captain Mohamed Hussein said Police captain Mohamed Hussein had counted at least nine bodies at the scene of the suicide bombing in Mogadishu, and the death toll is likely to rise.
article_snippet: The remains of two destroyed cars could be seen at the gates of the building. '
highlights_snippet: There remains an unknown number of hostages trapped inside the building .