A car bomb exploded outside Top Coffee, a popular café in Mogadishu, on Sunday night at 22:28 local time, claiming the lives of at least five people initially, with 20 more injured.
Later reports from security sources raised the death toll to nine.
The café was crowded with football fans watching the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England when the bomb detonated.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes as the explosion occurred during the match’s first half, sending patrons and bystanders scrambling for safety.
“We heard a loud, horrifying explosion during the first half of the game that we were watching. Everyone had to figure out how to save themselves,” recounted survivor Mohamed Muse to the media.
He added, “I saw people in danger, injured people screaming for help, and others confused – it was terrifying.”
The blast caused significant damage, destroying cars and buildings in the vicinity. Al-Shabab, a jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it targeted a location frequented by security and government personnel at night.
The café is situated near Villa Somalia, the official presidential residence.
Al-Shabab has been responsible for numerous bombings across Somalia over the past 17 years, although there had been a relative decrease in attacks recently due to ongoing offensives by Somali security forces against the group, which still holds sway in large parts of the country.
Source-BBC
