Four killed in Mogadishu suicide bombing

MOGADISHU: At least four people were killed and seven others wounded on Wednesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a tea shop near a security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital, police said.

The bomber, believed to be from the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab Islamist group, walked into the cafe popular with security forces and civilians, and triggered an explosives vest. "There are investigations going on but we believe the blast was carried by a Shabaab suicide bomber who detonated himself at a crowded tea-shop close to Sayidka intersection. Four civilians including the owner of the business died in the blast and seven others are wounded," said Ibrahim Mohamed, a senior police commander.

Witnesses described chaos after the blast. "The security forces sealed off the area, but I saw ambulances carried several dead bodies and wounded people as well, people were panicking and the whole area was in chaos," said Sayid Ali who was in the area at the time of the attack. No group claimed responsibility for the bombing, however Al-Shabaab carries out regular attacks against civilian and government targets.