Over 30 killed in beach attack in East African country

A popular seaside spot in Mogadishu, Somalia was targeted by gunmen and a suicide bomber on Friday

Over 30 people were killed in a terrorist attack on Lido Beach in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu on Friday, local media report, citing law enforcement. The seaside spot frequented by locals was targeted by four gunmen shooting indiscriminately and a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive device.

The attack took place late Friday when the beach was packed with people. A witness who spoke to AP said he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest seconds before the man “blew himself up next to the Beach View Hotel.” Another witness said the shooting started soon after the blast. Videos posted by witnesses on X (formerly Twitter) show bodies lying on the beach in the dark, and people running to escape the carnage.

According to police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan, security forces were able to kill all the attackers and detain their suspected driver, who attempted to flee the site in a car packed with explosives. One soldier was killed during the standoff with the gunmen.

As a result of the tragedy, at least 32 civilians died and 63 others were wounded, some of them critically, according to Hassan.

Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack through an affiliated radio station.

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The Somali government condemned the attack and held an emergency meeting attended by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and top security officials late Friday. At the meeting, the president urged the security agencies to develop advanced strategies to protect civilians against further terrorist attacks.

This is not the first time Lido Beach has been targeted by Al-Shabaab. The militant group was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by an African Union peacekeeping force, but still controls some areas in the southern and central regions of the country. It often conducts bombing and gun attacks on civilians and military infrastructure.

Friday’s tragedy is the deadliest attack since October 2022, when Al-Shabaab carried out twin car bombings in Mogadishu, killing more than 100 people and injuring 300.