A car full of explosives was detonated at the doors of the Luul Yemeni restaurant, near the port, around 8 pm (12 noon ET), Captain Aden Osman, a police officer of the capital.
The explosion was followed by loud shots.
The powerful blast caused widespread destruction of several buildings and business centers in the area, Osman added. Aamb Ambulance services confirmed that 30 people were injured during the bombing and that they were rushed to local hospitals.
“White smoke plumes covered the city after the huge explosion followed by gunfire,” said Witness Liban Yusuf, who added that a building near the site collapsed and a rescue operation was underway to evacuate people trapped in the rubble.
The terrorist group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement posted on its affiliated sites.
It is the second attack on the same restaurant since August 2020. The latest blast comes amid tight security measures in Mogadishu during a political crisis over delayed elections. The term of the country’s president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, expired on February 8 and no one-off elections were held.
Al-Shabaab was expelled from the Somali capital in 2011 by Somali forces and the African Union, but the Islamist group has been carrying out car bombings and armed attacks on the coastal city.