MOGADISHU, Somalia — Four people were killed Saturday when a car laden with explosives blew up near the Parliament building in the Somali capital, a police official said.

The Shabab, the Somali militants who have recently targeted members of Parliament, claimed responsibility.

Capt. Mohammed Hussein said the car exploded at a checkpoint where it had been stopped by Somali troops. The dead were soldiers and refugees from an internal refugee camp near the checkpoint, Captain Hussein said.

Troops had ordered the driver out of the car for a search when he detonated the explosives, Captain Hussein said.