Suicide bomber kills at least 7 in Somali tea shop; al Shabaab claims responsibility

A general view shows the scene of an explosion claimed to be set off by a suspected member of al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, at a shop selling tea near a security checkpoint on a road leading to the parliament and the president's office, in Mogadishu, Somalia September 29, 2023. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU (Reuters) -A suicide bomber set off an explosion at a shop selling tea in Somalia's capital on Friday, killing at least seven people, a witness and medical personnel.

Police put the number of dead at five. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Arabic media unit Shahada News Agency, the SITE Intelligence Group reported on Friday. It put the number of dead at 11 and wounded at 18; its numbers on casualties in attacks often differ from government figures.