An explosion occurred at a beachside restaurant in Mogadishu, which was hosting Somalia’s police head and politicians at the time. Six persons were killed.
The government officials were uninjured in the Friday bomb, which resulted in a fire inside the building, according to authorities.
“The blast killed six individuals and injured seven others,” Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the Aamin Ambulance service, told reporters.
According to Farah Dahir, a diner at a nearby restaurant, the explosion was followed by sporadic shooting.
“I can see multiple ambulances going [to] the scene immediately,” Dahir told the AFP news agency. “However, it is really difficult to determine what actually happened because the entire area is now shut off by police.”
Security and government personnel were known to frequent the Pescatore Seafood Restaurant, which recently opened in Lido Beach in Mogadishu’s south.
The exact cause of the explosion is unknown, however police officer Mohamed Ali believes an attacker detonated an explosive inside the eatery.
“There was a blast at the restaurant, allegedly caused by a suicide bomber, although we don’t know what caused it yet,” he said.
“The police commissioner was inside the restaurant at the time of the blast, but he and numerous legislators who stayed there are safe,” he continued.
The blast occurred just days after a mortar strike on Somalia’s parliament, which occurred during a gathering of freshly elected members.
The armed group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday, although no legislators were injured. For more than a decade, the armed group has been at odds with the central authority.
