Long exchange of fire

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Soldiers patrol in front of a hotel in Mogadishu.

(Bild: AP (Archivbild))

Islamists have attacked a hotel and the popular Lido Beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu. More than 30 people were killed, including the five terrorists. Dozens of people were injured. The terrorist militia Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

The exchange of fire between the attackers and the police continued into the early hours of Saturday morning. "I was injured in the arm by an artillery shell," said Shamso Abdi, who had spent the evening with friends at the Lido Beach Hotel. One of her friends had suffered head injuries and was in a critical condition. Panic broke out in the hotel. "Everyone was running for their lives."

Horrifying images on social networks
Horrifying images spread on social media: People fleeing the beach in panic, others lying bleeding and screaming in the sand, as pictures and videos from eyewitnesses show. Shots can be heard in the background. Rescue teams were initially unable to reach the injured as the shooting continued.

Terrorists wanted to storm hotel
A suicide bomber blew himself up at the hotel entrance on Friday evening. The other attackers tried to storm the hotel, but also fired at people on the beach, where many residents were walking or sitting on the sand with friends or relatives at the time of the attack.

Appeal for blood donations
Hospitals appealed for blood donations to care for the many injured. After years of daily violence and attacks, the possibility of being able to use the beach again was seen as a sign of normalization in the crisis-ridden country in the Horn of Africa.

Al-Shabaab terrorist militia claimed responsibility for the attack
The terrorist militia Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on its own radio station. The Islamists control areas in parts of Somalia, but have been pushed back from the capital in recent years. Nevertheless, attacks on government institutions and on hotels or restaurants in Mogadishu, where the Islamists consider a Western lifestyle to be prevalent, are still occurring.