Al-Shabab suicide attack on Mogadishu tea shop kills 10

SMA NEWS – MOGADISHU

A suicide bombing attack by the Al-Shabab militant group on a crowded tea shop in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed 10 people and wounded dozens, the government said Saturday.
The death toll from the attack, which targeted a tea shop near heavily guarded government institutions on Friday evening, was significantly higher than the four previously reported.
“On the evening of July 2, a suicide bomber wearing a vest detonated the device near the Juba Hotel, killing at least 10 people with dozens injured,” the ministry of information, culture and tourism said in a statement.
“The attack occurred during a busy hour where the victims were enjoying a local tea shop,” it added, saying the “malicious” attack was by Al-Shabab.
The Al-Qaeda-linked group swiftly claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement saying “15 elements from the governmental intelligence, police, and militia were killed and 22 others were wounded.”
Sources said that the attack took place just a few hundred meters from the headquarters of the Somali Intelligence Agency at around 5:30 p.m. (1430 GMT) Friday.