Twenty-three are dead after two suicide bombers targeted a government building in Somalia, according to authorities Sunday.

The victims were mostly students and merchants, officials said. The blast struck a nearby school and market.

Local police Capt. Abdi Hassan said the first bomb detonated at the gate of the government building, killing several innocent victims.

The second bomb targeted the crowd that had gathered to help the victims of the first blast.

Al-Shabaab, which the U.S. State Department designated as a terrorist group on March 18, 2008, has claimed responsibly for the attack.

"The attack follows a similar pattern of bombings in the country also claimed by Al-Shabaab, which wants to turn Somalia into an Islamist state," CNN reported. "In late July, six people died after double suicide car bombs exploded in Mogadishu."