Suicide Bomb Kills 32 People In Somalia's Capital

Illustration - Suicide bombers. (ANTARA)

MOGADISHU - More than 32 people were killed and more than 63 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded beach in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Friday night (2/8), Somalia police said.

Somali police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said in a press conference on Saturday that the attack included a suicide explosion followed by gunfire.

"After the suicide bomber slaughtered innocent civilians on the beach to relax on Friday, three terrorists stormed the Beach View Hotel," he said.

He added that security forces killed three attackers in the hotel after a shootout and two security personnel were injured, with one of them later dying from his injuries.

He said 63 people, including civilians, were seriously injured, according to a count from Mogadishu hospital.

Attack locations are often visited by civilians, security officials and business people.

The terrorist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Somalia has been hit by insecurity for years, with major threats from al-Shabaab and the terrorist group Daesh/ISIS.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been battling the Somali Government and the Transitional Mission of the African Union in Somalia -- a multidimensional mission passed by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

The terrorist group has stepped up attacks since Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "outburst war" against the group.