U.N. official shot dead outside mosque in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia (CNN) - A senior U.N. official in Somalia was gunned down Sunday night as he exited a mosque after evening prayers, according to a journalist on the scene.

Osman Ali Ahmed, head of the U.N. development program in Mogadishu, was shot at about 7:50 p.m. (12:50 p.m. EST) and died from his wounds at an African Union-run hospital near Mogadishu airport, said the Shabelle Media Network journalist, whose name was withheld for security reasons.

Ahmed apparently was the target of the attack, an official with the U.N. program said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation.