Car bomb kills Somalis watching Euro football final

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. Nine people have been killed and 20 more injured after a car bomb exploded outside a popular cafe packed with football fans in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, BBC reports.

The bomb went off on Sunday night at 22:28 local time as patrons at Top Coffee were watching the Euro 2024 football final between Spain and England.

Jihadist group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack.

The restaurant had been full, with some on the pavement outside as the bomb went off, the report adds.

Sunday's explosion also destroyed a number of cars and damaged several buildings.

Al-Shabab, part of the al-Qaeda group, reportedly said it was targeting a place where security and government workers meet at night.

According to the BBC, the jihadist group has carried out numerous bombings in the city and other parts of Somalia over the last 17 years. However, there has been a lull in recent months amid a continuing offensive by Somali security forces against the group, which still controls large parts of the country.