By Jeff Charles
At Least 32 people were killed and 60 others were wounded late Friday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, setting off a four-hour siege by gunmen, The New York Times reported.
The radical Islamist militant group Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, which started in the Lido Beach area, according to The New York Times. The terrorist organization has been locked in an insurgency against Somalia’s government for almost two decades, according to the outlet.
“We heard a loud explosion followed by gunfire,” Mohamed Jibril, a witness who was reportedly out with friends in the vicinity during the attack, told the outlet. “I have never seen anything like that in my entire life,” he added. “I saw many people lying on the beach asking for help, and no one dared to help them because there was ongoing shooting.”
Visited Erdogan Hospital tonight to meet the victims of the terrible terrorist attack at Lido Beach.
Rest assured, we are taking strict action against those responsible.
My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. pic.twitter.com/kg2BjbVdTW
— Hamza Abdi Barre (@HamzaAbdiBarre) August 3, 2024
Officers killed three of the terrorists involved in the assault, The New York Times reported, citing authorities.
“Our security forces have eliminated all three Shabab attackers who entered the hotel and took hostage the customers and beachgoers who took shelter inside the building,” Somali police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Jihadist Rebels Drive Car Loaded With Explosives Into Somalian Hotel Before Deploying Armed Men)
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed his condolences and affirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating Al Shabab.
“The terrorist attack on Lido beach shows the brutality of the attackers and their aim to kill the Somali people everywhere,” he said in a statement, according to The New York Times.
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres strongly condemns Friday’s attack at Lido Beach in Mogadishu
He reiterates that the United Nations stands firmly with the Government and people of Somalia against terrorism and violent extremismRead more ⤵️https://t.co/9cOVSBHTqI https://t.co/Yd062HcICV
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) August 3, 2024
This attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the region. This includes a six-hour siege on a beachside hotel in 2023 and a car bomb detonation at a café last month.
