At least 5 killed in bombing targeting a busy café in the Somali capital, police say

A bomb attack occurred outside a cafe in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday, with police reporting at least five fatalities. The explosion took place while some people were inside the cafe watching the European football final between Spain and England.

Somali police spokesman Major Abdifatah Aden Hassan told reporters that a car laden with explosives detonated outside the cafe, resulting in injuries to at least 20 people. Images circulating online showed a large fire erupting outside the cafe following the blast.

Eyewitness Ismail Adan stated via telephone that "some spectators were injured trying to jump over the cafe's fence, while others were hurt in a stampede." He further added that the majority of the victims were on the street at the time of the explosion.

It is currently unclear who is responsible for the attack. The Islamist militant group al-Shabab has a history of carrying out attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia. The group opposes the Somali federal government, which relies on the support of foreign troops to maintain its rule.

Mogadishu has been largely peaceful in recent months. However, this calm was broken on Saturday when prisoners inside a Mogadishu jail attempted to escape. In that incident, at least eight people died, with prisoners convicted of al-Shabab attacks engaging in a shootout with prison guards before being killed.

The Somali government is engaged in a high-profile offensive against the extremist group, which the United States has described as one of al-Qaeda's deadliest affiliates. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared an "all-out war" against the extremists, who control large swathes of central and southern Somalia and have been the target of multiple US airstrikes in recent years.