Somalia beach suicide terror blast kills at least 32 and injures dozens more

At least 32 civilians have been killed, and 63 others injured, in a suicide bomb attack on a beach hotel in Somalia.

The explosion, which was followed by gunfire, happened in a popular area of the capital Mogadishu late on Friday.

In the aftermath, the beach was strewn with sandals and shoes left by people as they fled the carnage.

It was the deadliest attack in the country since twin car bombs detonated near a busy market in October 2022, killing at least 100 people and wounding 300 others.

In addition to the civilians killed at the beach restaurant, police said one soldier was killed during the assault.

Of the attackers, one blew himself up, three were killed by security forces and another was captured alive.

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One witness, Mohamud Moalim, said he saw one insurgent wearing an explosive vest moments before the man "blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel".

He said some of his friends who were with him at the hotel were killed and others were wounded.

Hassan Farah said: "I was in the restaurant sipping coffee and having a good chat with friends when I saw a big man running, in a second there was something like lightning and a huge blast.

"We were covered with smoke. Inside and outside the restaurant many people were lying on the floor while others were bleeding and crying."

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met with security agencies after the attack and drew up plans to strengthen the city's security.

The president's office said in a post on X: "The government is determined to eliminate the terrorists. The terrorists want to terrify the civilians.

"Let the civilians report the terrorists hiding among them."

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Militants allied to the group have targeted the area before.

The most recent atrocity last year left nine people dead.

In a separate attack on Saturday, state media reported seven people died after a passenger vehicle hit a roadside bomb some 25 miles (40km) from the capital.

Al Shabaab controlled a vast area of Somalia before being pushed back in a series of government counteroffensives since 2022.

However, the militants remain capable of launching significant attacks on government, commercial, and military targets.