Somali police arrested several suspected al-Shabaab militants on Thursday after an explosion in Mogadishu's Dayniile district exposed what authorities described as a bomb-making operation.

The blast occurred inside a house in the Barwaaqo neighbourhood as the suspects were allegedly assembling explosive devices, police said. The materials detonated prematurely, wounding the men and drawing the attention of nearby residents.

"We heard two loud explosions," said one resident, who asked not to be named. "Shortly after, security forces arrived and sealed off the area."

Authorities detained the injured suspects at the scene and launched an investigation into the property, which neighbours claimed had long raised suspicions but had never been searched.

The Dayniile district administration has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

The explosion comes amid a broader government offensive to dismantle al-Shabaab's presence in urban centres. The Islamist group, linked to al-Qaeda, has waged a violent insurgency for more than a decade, frequently targeting civilians and government facilities with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), car bombs, and suicide attacks.

Backed by international partners, Somalia's federal government has ramped up counter-terrorism operations in Mogadishu, part of a wider strategy to reclaim areas under militant control and stabilise the country.