At least 32 killed, 63 wounded in Somalia beach attack

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A suicide attack by alleged al-Shabab militants killed at least 32 and wounded at least 63 others Friday evening at a beach resort in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The attack started with an explosion set off by a suicide bomber inside a restaurant followed by shooting as people rushed onto Lido Beach, local police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden told media.

As people rushed out of the restaurant, four other militants began shooting into the panicked crowd, Aden said.

The suicide bomber and three of the shooters were killed, and another was captured during the attack. One Somali soldier died.

Witnesses said many people sought cover by lying on the beach and it was hard to tell who was dead, wounded or hiding.

The al-Shabab organization that controls areas of southern and central Somalia claimed responsibility for the attack, and said the death toll and numbers of wounded are much larger than initially announced.

European Union officials condemned what they referred to as a "terrorist attack."

"This brutal attack at Lido Beach against civilians underlines yet again al-Shabab's barbarity towards their own compatriots," E.U. spokesperson Peter Stano said in a post on X.

"The E.U. stands in solidarity with the government of Somalia and the Somali people," Stano said. "We reaffirm our commitment to supporting Somalia in its fight against terrorism in all its forms."

The deadly attack in one of several al-Shabab carried out against the Somali government and people over the past two decades.

Al-Shabab in July claimed responsibility for a car bomb that targeted a café in Mogadishu and in March killed three and wounded 27 during a siege at a Mogadishu hotel.

Al-Shabab is affiliated with al-Qaeda and is waging an insurgency against Somalia's U.N.-approved government.