Capt. Aidan Osman, a senior police officer in the capital, confirmed to CNN that a car full of explosives exploded near the door of the Lulul Yemeni restaurant near the port at around 8pm local time (12pm).
The blast was followed by heavy gunfire.
Usman added that the powerful blast caused extensive destruction of several buildings and business centers in the area. The bombing injured 30 people and they were immediately shifted to local hospitals, confirmed by Emin Ambulance Services.
Witness Liban Youssef said “white smoke plumes cover the city after a massive explosion following the shooting.”
The militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its affiliate sites.
This is the second attack on the same rest restaurant after August 2020. Mogadishu has recently exploded amid tight security amid a political crisis delaying late elections. The country’s President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo’s order expired on February 8, and elections were not held on time.
Al-Shabaab was pushed out of the Somali capital in 2011 by Somali and African Union forces, but the Islamist group is carrying out car bombings and gun attacks in the coastal city.
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