Six people have been arrested as suspects in an explosion in northern Somalia that killed five senior military officials, authorities said Monday.

The suspects included several local Muslim school teachers and clerics accused of masterminding the bombing in Las Anod, Shabelle Media Network reported.

Sunday's blast killed five senior military officers, including a high-ranking commander, traveling through Las Anod in a truck, Shabelle reported.

The government increased troop presence in the city Monday in a search for more suspects, Mohamed Abdullahi, a Somali peacemaker in Sol region, told Shabelle.