Gunmen killed a Somali lawmaker in a drive-by shooting on Wednesday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a police official said.

Lawmaker Saado Ali Warsame, who also was a popular singer of Somali folk music, was shot dead by gunmen who pulled up near her car as she was being driven to a hotel, said Somali police Captain Mohamed Hussein.

Warsame became the fourth lawmaker killed this year in militant attacks that increasingly target members of Somalia's parliament. This is the second drive-by shooting of a lawmaker since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during which scores of civilians and government troops have been killed in militant attacks.

Warsame's driver was also killed in the attack which happened in Mogadishu's Hodan district, considered to be one of the safest places in the seaside city because of heavy security presence, according to Hussein.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the militant group al-Shabaab frequently carries out similar attacks against lawmakers, government officials and foreigners.

The al-Qaeda-linked militant group has previously carried out lethal attacks against government officials, African Union peacekeepers and United Nations staff.