The al Shabaab Islamic terror group claimed responsibility for an explosion that occurred at a popular beach restaurant in the Somali capital late on Friday, resulting in the deaths of 37 civilians and the injury of 212 others, as reported by TRT World Now.

Health minister Ali Haji told reporters that 11 of those injured in the Mogadishu suicide attack are in critical condition. One soldier was also killed by the explosion, said police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden, according to Reuters.

During a press brief, Aden said that one of the attackers blew himself up while three others were killed by security forces. One terrorist was captured by police and taken into custody alive. The attackers reportedly belonged to the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab terror group.

"I was in the restaurant sipping coffee and having a good chat with friends when I saw a big man running, in a second there was something like lightning and a huge blast," one survivor of the attack recanted to Reuters.
 

"We were covered with smoke," he said. "Inside and outside the restaurant many people were lying on the floor while others were bleeding and crying."

Lido Beach was filled with scenes of loose sandals and other personal belongings on Saturday morning in the wake of the attack.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre vowed to take immediate action against the terrorists and announced heightened security to ensure the safety of civilians.

"The government is determined to eliminate the terrorists. The terrorists want to terrify civilians. Let the civilians report the terrorists hiding among them," the president's office wrote on X.

Al Shabaab once possessed a substantial portion of Somalia; however, they have been repelled by government counteroffensives since 2022, according to Reuters. Nevertheless, the militants continue to possess the capacity to conduct substantial attacks on military, commercial, and government targets.