Car bomb hits Somalia's capital amidst tight security

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An enormous explosives-laden vehicle detonated outside a busy restaurant in Somalia's capital has wounded at least two people, police said on Saturday, Garowe Online reports.

The noon explosion sent smoke billowing into the sky and destroyed some cars parked in the K-5 junction area, the scene of the country’s deadliest terrorist attack on 14th October 2017.

The police cordoned off the area around the blast site and detained a suspect in the attack after the public saw him detonating the car with remote control and alerted the security agencies for action.

An eyewitness told Garowe Online that the blast occurred in a strategic area near the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lined with shops, restatements, and hotels.

“Two occupants of the car were wounded following the explosion that was resulted by the device. The vehicle was reported to be belonging to an official working at Mogadishu airport,” said the witness.

The blast occurred as Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi was having a meeting with political parties at the presidential palace in the capital for an attempt to iron out circumstances surrounding the next polls.

Car bomb attacks by Al-Shabaab have significantly decreased drastically for the past months, thanks to the increased security operations and tight checkpoints at the entrance points of the city.

GAROWE ONLINE