At least six people were killed and more than seven others wounded after a heavy explosion targeted a restaurant in Mogadishu’s Lido Beach on Friday evening, a police officer said. 

Abdi Mohamud, a police officer in Mogadishu's Abdiasis district, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that they believe that the attack was a suicide bombing that hit a restaurant, killing six people, including security personnel and civilians.

He said that at the time of the attack, several senior government officials were at the restaurant, including Somali police commander Abdi Hassan Mohamed ⁦Hijaar⁩ and lawmakers.

Somali National News Agency (SONNA) also reported that Al-Shabaab terrorists blew up the hotel on the Lido beach of Mogadishu, while 11 members of the Somali parliament and other politicians were at the scene of the blast.

"The number of casualties of deaths and injuries not known yet," SONNA said in a tweet.

Local media reported that heavy gunfire ensued in the hotel after the bomb blast.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed numerous recent attacks in the Horn of African country./aa