A suicide bomber and gunmen from Al-Shabaab attacked a busy beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing 32 people and injuring many others, in one of the deadliest incidents in recent months, police reported on Saturday.
The Al-Qaeda-linked militants have been fighting against the internationally supported federal government for over 17 years and have previously targeted the popular Lido Beach area, frequented by business people and officials.
Unverified videos shared online shortly after the attack showed people fleeing along a street and several clips appeared to show bloodied bodies lying on the beach.
“More than 32 civilians died in this attack and about 63 others were wounded, some critically,” police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said during a press conference.
“Targeting and killing 32 civilians demonstrates that these Kharijites are not only targeting government centers, soldiers, and officials,” he said, using the term Somali officials use for Al-Shabaab.
The assault, for which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility on a pro-Shabaab website, began late on Friday with a suicide bomber detonating a device and gunmen storming the area, police and witnesses told AFP.
Officer Mohamed Omar told AFP the gunmen “shot civilians randomly.” He said security forces ended the attack and killed five gunmen, while a sixth attacker “blew himself up at the beach.”
Witnesses reported that there were many people at the popular location when the explosion occurred, followed by gunmen storming the area.
“Everyone was panicked, and it was hard to understand what was happening because the shooting started soon after the blast,” witness Abdilatif Ali told AFP.
People attempted to take cover or flee. “I saw many people on the ground, some dead and others wounded,” he said.
Ahmed Yare, observing from a nearby hotel, said, “I saw wounded people at the beachside. People were screaming in panic, and it was hard to distinguish who was dead and who was still alive,” he told AFP.
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings and attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of the country. The Somali government is continuing its offensive against the militants.
The Lido area has been the target of previous attacks, including a six-hour siege of a beachside hotel by Al-Shabaab in 2023, which resulted in six civilian deaths and 10 wounded.
Last month, five people were killed in a car bomb blast at a café in the capital.
In March, the militants killed three people and wounded 27 in an hours-long siege of another Mogadishu hotel, ending a relative lull in the violence.
