7 killed in suicide bomber attack at a cafe in Somalia's capital

[October 18, 2024]  By OMAR FARUK

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Seven people died and six others were injured after a suicide bomber detonated an unidentified device at a café outside a police training school in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, police said Thursday.   

Somalia police patrol near the scene of a suicide bomber attack at a café, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Police say the victims included officers and civilians who were having tea outside the General Kaahiye Police Academy on Thursday.

The al-Qaeda linked militant group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement published on its affiliate website. The group has in the past carried out attacks in Somalia.

Resident Mohamed Ali said he heard a loud blast.

“The café was full of people enjoying their tea, and then everything was chaos,” he said.

A paramedic at Madina Hospital told The Associated Press that several injured people were receiving treatment.

“We are working to rehabilitate the wounded, many of whom sustained severe injuries,” she said.

Thursday's attack came two months after 37 people were killed in an attack on a public beach in Mogadishu.

Somalia has been taking over security responsibilities from foreign troops who had been deployed under the African Transition Mission in Somalia, whose mandate ends in December.

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