Somalia: Car bomb targets Mogadishu restaurant

Casualties feared after a suspected suicide car bomb rams into a restaurant popular with security forces.Casualties feared after a suspected suicide car bomb rams into a restaurant popular with security forces.

A suspected suicide car bomb has struck a restaurant in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, police have told Al Jazeera.

The Blue Sky restaurant, which was attacked on Saturday afternoon, is located near the presidential palace and a centre for national security and intelligence.

Abdikadir Hussein, a police major, told Reuters news agency that “a suicide car bomb rammed into Blue Sky restaurant”.

Hussein also said it was too early to confirm if there were any casualties. One witness told Reuters he had seen at least three dead.

Residents said the restaurant was frequented by members of the national security forces.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the al-Shabab armed group has launched similar attacks in Mogadishu in the past.

Al-Shabab fighters have claimed responsibility for several recent explosions in Mogadishu, including a car bomb attack on Tuesday near the president’s palace that killed 15 people.

Since being pushed out of major cities and towns, the group has resorted to armed attacks across the Horn of Africa country and in other countries in the region such as Kenya.