Deadliest Attack in Mogadishu Beach: Al Shabaab Suspected

An explosion at a popular beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, killed 32 civilians and injured 63 others. Suspected to be the work of al Shabaab militants, this marks the deadliest attack since October 2022. Security forces killed several attackers, with one captured alive.

At least 32 civilians were killed and 63 injured in an explosion on a popular beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Friday evening, police said. The attack was blamed by Somali state media on the militant Islamist group al Shabaab.

This is the deadliest attack in Somalia since twin car bombs detonated near a market in October 2022, killing 100 and wounding 300. While no immediate claim of responsibility was made by al Shabaab, the group has claimed similar attacks in the past, including the 2022 car bomb attack.

Police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden reported the death toll and said one attacker had blown himself up while security forces killed three others. One attacker was captured alive, and one soldier died during the assault.

State news agency SONNA initially reported that five attackers were killed by security forces, with a sixth blowing himself up. Survivor Hassan Farah described the scene, recounting how a peaceful evening escalated into chaos with a massive blast.

Videos posted on X showed bodies on the beach and people fleeing. Al Shabaab, pushed back in recent government counteroffensives, remains capable of significant attacks.

"The fact that the terrorist attack coincides with this night when the beach is the most congested shows the hostility of the terrorists to the Somali people," former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said on X.

(With inputs from agencies.)