Terror attack on Mogadishu beach claims 37 lives, dozens injured
At least 37 people were killed in a terrorist attack on a beach in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The Islamist organization Al-Shabaab is believed to be behind the attack. A shocking video showing the moment of the attack has surfaced online.
According to Somali police, at least 37 people were killed in the attack. Seventy-five people are currently in the hospital. Over 130 were admitted to medical facilities but have since been discharged and sent home.
Police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden reported that aside from civilians, one soldier also died in the attack. Five terrorists carried out the attack. Reuters reports that one of the attackers blew himself up, three were shot dead by security forces, and one was apprehended.
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 lightening and a huge blast - Hassan Farah, who survived the attack, told Reuters.
Meanwhile, a disturbing clip has surfaced online. "Shocking video captures the moment an explosion rocked Lido Beach in Mogadishu. Tiktok content creator filming himself was caught off guard as the blast occurred. The footage also shows Alshabaab fighter trying to enter the hotel as confused woman runs after the militant.," reads the Dalsan TV profile.
Other videos posted on X show bodies lying on the beach in the dark and people fleeing to safety.
It was supposed to be a casual night, taking up the breeze at the beach, but it nearly cost us our lives - adds 31-year-old Abdullahi Mohamed Warsame in an interview with "The Guardian".
Attack on one of the city's wealthiest districts
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud convened an emergency meeting of the country's security agency on Saturday to investigate how the attack happened.
Reuters recalls that this was the deadliest attack in Somalia since the explosion of two car bombs near a busy intersection at a marketplace in October 2022. Back then, at least 100 people were killed, and 300 were injured.
According to the BBC, Al-Shabaab controls large southern and central Somalia areas. The group is associated with Al-Qaeda and is conducting a violent insurgency against the UN-backed government in Somalia. The terrorists stated that among the dead were "politicians, [security] forces and employees from various ministries and offices."
