MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Somali police officer says a car bomb in the capital has killed at least 10 people.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein said at least 15 others were injured when the car packed with explosives and parked near a busy security checkpoint by the city's airport was detonated by remote control on Monday morning.

The powerful explosion which rocked Mogadishu occurred in the morning when many people were on the road going to work and others were travelling to attend the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's Mecca.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast but Somalia's homegrown Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, often carry out such attacks. Al-Shabab is allied to al-Qaida.