32 killed in Somalia suicide bombing, gun attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia – At least 32 people were killed and 63 others were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a busy beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Friday evening, Somali police said.

Abdifatah Adan Hassan, Somali police spokesman, told a news conference on Saturday that the attack included a suicide explosion followed by gunfire.

"After the suicide bomber massacred innocent civilians who were at the beach for Friday relaxation, three terrorist attackers stormed the Beach View Hotel," he said.

He added that security forces killed three attackers inside the hotel after a firefight and two security personnel were injured, with one of them later succumbing to his injuries.

He said 63 people, civilians among them, sustained serious injuries, according to a count from Mogadishu hospitals.

The site of the attack is frequented by civilians, security officials, and businesspeople.

Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia – a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

The terror group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on the group. (PNA)