At least 32 people were killed and several others injured after a suicide bomber and gunmen targeted a popular beachfront location in the Somali capital on Saturday, according to a police spokesman. Abdifatah Adan Hassan reported that around 63 people were wounded, some critically.

Video footage revealed numerous bodies and injured individuals in Mogadishu’s Abdiaziz district. Local media indicated that al-Shabab militants, who control significant parts of southern and central Somalia, carried out the attack. This group, affiliated with al-Qaeda, has waged a brutal insurgency against the UN-backed Somali government for nearly 20 years.

An eyewitness told AFP news agency that people were in a state of panic, saying, “It was hard to know what was happening because shooting started soon after the blast.” Abdilatif Ali described how some people tried to take cover on the ground while others attempted to flee. “I saw wounded people at the beachside. People were screaming in panic, and it was hard to notice who was dead and who was still alive,” he added.

At least five attackers were involved in the assault. Mr. Hassan stated that one attacker blew himself up while three others were killed. One attacker was captured alive, the police spokesman informed reporters in Mogadishu.