Car bomb blast strikes Somalia capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An explosives-laden vehicle detonated outside a popular beachfront restaurant in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu on Monday evening, causing no casualties, police said, Garowe Online reports.

A police spokeswoman said the car bomb explosion happened near Liido beach in Abdulaziz district at 6:30 p.m. local time. Eyewitnesses reported seeing heavy plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Mogadishu attack at Liido beach which draws thousands every weekend for fun and often take time with families at the seafront hotels and eatery.

However, Al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas in Mogadishu with suicide bombings. Those often include security checkpoints, hotels, and government offices.

The group was chased out of the capital in 2011 but continues to hold large parts of rural southern and central Somalia, taxing local people and travelers to fund its deadly quest to oust Somali government.

Separately, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) of Somalia said in a Twitter post that an Al-Shabab operative was captured during an operation in the capital’s northern Yaqshiid district.

GAROWE ONLINE