Five dead in suicide bombing near Mogadishu municipality. Five dead in suicide bombing near Mogadishu municipality

At least five people were killed in a suicide bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday. A police spokesman said the man, armed with an explosive charge, ran through a security checkpoint near the city government. A guard tried in vain to stop him. The man ran into a cafe and detonated the explosive there. According to the information, the explosion was heard in a wide area. At least four visitors to the café were seriously injured.

The Islamist terrorist militia Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack via its radio station a short time later. The cafe was targeted because officials were regulars there, it was said.

These types of attacks have become rare in Mogadishu in recent months as security authorities in the Horn of Africa country have managed to largely drive the terrorist militia out of the capital. However, Al-Shabaab still controls large areas in southern and central Somalia.

The militia enforces a strict interpretation of Sharia law in the areas it controls, including executions and flogging. In recent years, Islamists have carried out numerous attacks on government politicians, journalists and civil society representatives. Outside Somalia, they also carried out terrorist attacks in Kenya and Uganda. (saw/sda/dpa)