Friday April 22, 2022
Mogadishu (HOL) - At least six people were killed, and seven others were wounded on Friday after a suicide bomber blew himself up at Liido seaside restaurant in Mogadishu, an ambulance service official said.
The blast occurred in front of the restaurant where Somali lawmakers had Iftar earlier in the evening. Somali government spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu confirmed that Somali Police Force Commander General Abdi Hassan Hijar, who was at the restaurant at the blast, was unharmed.
“I spoke with the police chief General Abdi Hijar, and he confirmed that he is safe. He was at the restaurant at the time of the blast. The lawmakers are also safe, ”said Moalimuu.
Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Aamin Ambulance - Mogadishu’s only emergency rescue service, told local media that a half dozen people were injured.
“So far, we have carried six dead civilians and seven others injured from the blast scene,” Abdirahman said.
The al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said it was targeting army officers and politicians who were having a meeting at the restaurant in Mogadishu’s Abdiaziz district.