Somalia's Higher Education Ministry in the centre of the capital Mogadishu has been hit by a large explosion followed by heavy gunfire, police have said.
Police said at least one person was killed in Tuesday's attack by suspected al-Shabab fighters.
Sources told Al Jazeera that gunmen were holed up inside the building
Major Ali Nur, a police officer, told Reuters news agency that he had seen one dead civilian and five injured, but said it was too early to know full casualty figures.
There was no immediate comment from al-Shabab, which frequently stages attacks in the country.
[aljazeera]