(Bloomberg) -- Five people were killed and about 20 others wounded when a car bomb exploded Sunday outside a tea shop in Mogadishu where football fans had gathered to watch the finals of the European Championship, police said.
The blast occurred at a popular restaurant called Top Coffee, according to police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden Hasan. Ali Shiino, the president of Somalia’s football federation, condemned the attack in an interview with Bloomberg. He emphasized that the people killed were young football fans, and he expressed concern that the death toll may rise.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Somalia has previously faced similar bouts of violence from al-Shabaab militants who consider watching football, among other things, to be against Islam.
Al-Shabaab members are believed to be behind a string of attacks in Somalia and Kenya, killing hundreds of Somali civilians, African troops and US defense contractors over the years. The African Union last month endorsed the creation of a force to replace more than 13,000 foreign troops due to leave Somalia by year-end, amid fears that militants are gaining power.
Read: African Union Agrees to New Force to Fight Islamists in Somalia
The Sunday bombing is the latest sign of violence following a period of relative calm in the Somali capital. On Saturday, eight people were killed at Mogadishu Central Prison when a group of prisoners believed to be linked to al-Shabaab attempted to break out of jail and engaged in a firefight and explosions with guards.
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