At least seven people were killed on Thursday in a suicide bombing outside a busy restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, police have reported. The attack occurred around 3:30 p.m. near the city’s main police complex, where the bomber detonated an explosives-filled vest.
Somali police released a statement confirming that the suicide attack targeted a gathering spot outside a café near the School Polizia Facility. The explosion claimed the lives of at least seven individuals, with six others sustaining injuries. Among the victims were both civilians and police officers.
Eyewitnesses recounted the tragic scene, noting that a well-known Somali comedian, Sugal Abdulle, was among those killed, along with a police officer responsible for the security at the Turkish-built Yardim Eli specialist hospital in Mogadishu. “The bomber detonated himself in the midst of civilians and police officers resting under trees outside the restaurant,” said Osman Nur Aden, a local resident who witnessed the explosion.
The bombing took place in a heavily secured area near Mogadishu’s international airport, which houses several foreign embassies, as well as United Nations and African Union installations. The attack coincided with a visit to the city by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Rosemary A. DiCarlo.
Earlier in the day, Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had met with DiCarlo at the presidential palace to discuss strengthening ties between Somalia and the United Nations, focusing on collaborative efforts to address Somalia’s priorities, according to a government statement.
While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Somali police indicated that it bore the characteristics of the al-Shabab militant group, which has carried out numerous attacks on public spaces in Mogadishu over the past 15 years.