At least 32 civilians were killed and 63 injured in an explosion on a popular beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Friday evening, police said, an attack blamed by Somali state media on the militant Islamist group al Shabaab.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, which has claimed similar attacks in the past, including the car bomb attack in 2022.
Police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden gave the death toll in Friday evening’s explosion at a beach restaurant.
In addition to the civilians killed, Aden said that one of the attackers had blown himself up while three others had been killed by security forces.
Al Shabaab controlled a vast area of Somalia before being pushed back in government counteroffensives since 2022.
Persons:
Abdifatah Aden, Aden, SONNA, al, Hassan Farah, “, ”, Shabaab, Hassan Ali Khaire
Organizations:
Police, Reuters
Locations:
Somali, Mogadishu, Shabaab, Horn of Africa, Somalia