Bombing in Somalia Capital Kills at Least 10 People, and Al Shabab Claims Responsibility
Bombing in Somalia Capital Kills at Least 10 People, and Al Shabab Claims Responsibility, Around 10 people were killed Friday and a dozen more were wounded, including several government officials and lawmakers, when two explosions ripped through the entrance of a hotel in the Somali capital, officials said.
A car loaded with explosives was detonated near the entrance to the Central Hotel, and a suicide bomber attacked a group of officials who had gathered there for Friday prayers.
Witnesses described bodies lying in pools of blood and burning wreckage of cars inside the hotel. There was no independent confirmation of the number of casualties, but a Somali security officer, Major Nur Mohamed, told Reuters that at least 10 people had been killed and that the death toll might rise.
The minister of information, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareye, told the state-run Radio Mogadishu that several government officials and a lawmaker had been killed in the attack, including the deputy governor of the Banadir region, which includes the capital, Mogadishu.
“A car loaded with explosives parked outside a mosque exploded, and a suicide bomber detonated his explosives afterwards,” Mr. Maareeye said.
The deputy prime minister, Mohamed Omar Arte, and other officials, were wounded in the attack and were being treated at a nearby hospital, an official told the Voice of America Somali service.
Al Shabab, a rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had targeted the government ministers and lawmakers who gathered at the Central Hotel in Mogadishu for Friday prayers ahead of a national holiday. Islamist militants from Al Shabab have carried out several attacks against the Somali government officials recently. On Monday, at least three officials working for the Somali civil aviation authority were shot to death in Mogadishu.
The attacks come after a tightening of security in the capital ahead of a national holiday on Saturday that was to draw government officials from around the region.
A car loaded with explosives was detonated near the entrance to the Central Hotel, and a suicide bomber attacked a group of officials who had gathered there for Friday prayers.
Witnesses described bodies lying in pools of blood and burning wreckage of cars inside the hotel. There was no independent confirmation of the number of casualties, but a Somali security officer, Major Nur Mohamed, told Reuters that at least 10 people had been killed and that the death toll might rise.
The minister of information, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareye, told the state-run Radio Mogadishu that several government officials and a lawmaker had been killed in the attack, including the deputy governor of the Banadir region, which includes the capital, Mogadishu.
“A car loaded with explosives parked outside a mosque exploded, and a suicide bomber detonated his explosives afterwards,” Mr. Maareeye said.
The deputy prime minister, Mohamed Omar Arte, and other officials, were wounded in the attack and were being treated at a nearby hospital, an official told the Voice of America Somali service.
Al Shabab, a rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had targeted the government ministers and lawmakers who gathered at the Central Hotel in Mogadishu for Friday prayers ahead of a national holiday. Islamist militants from Al Shabab have carried out several attacks against the Somali government officials recently. On Monday, at least three officials working for the Somali civil aviation authority were shot to death in Mogadishu.
The attacks come after a tightening of security in the capital ahead of a national holiday on Saturday that was to draw government officials from around the region.