Terrorism - Somalia: At least eleven dead in attack during EM final
During the transfer of the EM-Finals, an automobile bomb exploded in front of a café in the Somalian capital Mogadishu. At least eleven people were killed, according to a police spokesperson, with dozens of café visitors reportedly injured. Panic broke out in the café. Among the dead were five people who were passing by when the car in front of it exploded, it was further reported.
A police spokesperson told the German Press Agency, it is still unclear whether there was a suicide bomber in the vehicle and whether additional armed attackers were involved. The number of fatalities and injuries could still increase, the investigators feared. The force of the explosion severely damaged nearby buildings.
The targeted café is popular among government officials. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the modus operandi and target bear the hallmark of the radical Islamic terror militia Al-Shabaab, which has been waging a bloody conflict in the country on the Horn of Africa for years. A group of inmates at the central prison in Mogadishu attempted to escape from the prison on a Saturday. Six people were killed.
Al-Shabaab considers football and music to be "haram" (unclean), and had previously attempted an attack during a football tournament in Mogadishu on the stadium.
It is not new that a sports final is at the center of an attack by Islamists: During the Football World Cup 2010 in Uganda, Al-Shabaab detonated bombs in a local where several hundred people were watching the WM-Final. Seventy-four people were killed.
The Somali government has been fighting against the terror militia for years, which controls parts of Somalia. In recent months, there have been repeated attacks in Mogadishu. In March, terrorists attacked a hotel near the Presidential Palace and barricaded themselves there for hours.
- The car bomb explosion in Mogadishu, reminiscent of Al-Shabaab's tactics, disrupted a local soccer match earlier in the city.
- The vehicle used in the bombing was an automatic car, which caused extensive damage to the popular café frequented by government officials.
- Despite the soccer-related targeting by Al-Shabaab, a major soccer event, such as the EM-Finals, has not been disrupted in Mogadishu due to terrorism thus far.
- The German Press Agency reported that Al-Shabaab, known for its opposition to soccer and music, is suspected of being behind the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack in Mogadishu.
