A car full of explosives was detonated at the gates of the Luul Yemeni restaurant near the harbor around 8 p.m. local time (noon ET), Captain Aden Osman, a senior police officer in the capital, confirmed to CNN.
The explosion was followed by heavy artillery.
The powerful explosion caused widespread destruction of several buildings and business centers in the area, Osman added. Aamin’s ambulance service confirmed that 30 people were injured in the bombing and rushed to local hospitals.
“Plumes of white smoke covered the city after the massive explosion followed by gunfire,” said witness Liban Yusuf, adding that a building near the site collapsed and a rescue operation was underway to evacuate people trapped in the rubble.
The terrorist group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement posted on its affiliated sites.
It is the second attack on the same restaurant since August 2020. The latest explosion comes amid tight security measures in Mogadishu during a political crisis over postponed elections. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s mandate expired on February 8 and timely elections were not held.
Al-Shabaab was driven from the Somali capital in 2011 by Somali troops and African Union troops, but the Islamist group has carried out car bombings and firearms attacks in the coastal city.