Several people have been killed after a car bomb exploded outside a popular cafe packed with football fans in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
The bomb exploded on Sunday evening at 10:28 p.m. local time as customers at Top Coffee were watching the Euro 2024 football final between Spain and England.
Police said at least five people were killed and 20 injured in the blast. Security sources later told AFP the death toll had risen to nine.
The jihadist group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack.
The restaurant was full, and some were on the sidewalk outside when the bomb exploded, forcing people to run to safety, witnesses said.
“We heard a loud and horrible explosion during the first half of the match we were watching. Everyone had to find a way to escape,” one of the survivors, Mohamed Muse, told the BBC.
“I saw people in danger, injured people screaming for help and others confused. It was terrifying,” he added.
Another witness told AFP news agency that some people in the cafe were able to escape by climbing ladders at the back and jumping over the wall.
Sunday’s explosion also destroyed a number of cars and damaged several buildings.
Al-Shabab, an affiliate of the al-Qaeda group, reportedly said it was targeting a location where security forces and government agents gather at night.
The area is close to Villa Somalia, the official presidential residence.
The jihadist group has carried out numerous bombings in the city and other parts of Somalia over the past 17 years.
However, there has been a lull in recent months due to the continued offensive by Somali security forces against the group, which still controls large areas of the country.
