Police in Somalia said on August 3 that 32 people died and 63 others were wounded in an attack on a beach hotel in the capital Mogadishu, on August 2.
Police spokesperson Maj. Abdifatah Adan Hassan, told journalists that one soldier was killed in the attack and that the rest were civilians.
“Another soldier was also wounded in the attack. Witnesses reported an explosion followed by gunfire,” Mr. Hassan said.
Al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab, said through its radio that its fighters carried out the attack. Lido Beach, a popular area in Mogadishu, is bustling on Friday nights as Somalis enjoy their weekend.
A witness Mohamud Moalim told The Associated Press that he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man “blew himself up next to the beach-view hotel.” He said some of his friends who were with him at the hotel were killed and others were wounded.
Another witness, Abdisalam Adam, told AP that he “saw many people lying on the ground” and had helped take some wounded people to the hospital.
The Lido Beach area has in the past been targeted by militants allied to al-Shabab. The most recent attack last year killed nine people.
