Gunmen and car bombs shock Mogadishu beachfront

Restaurants on the popular beachfront of the Somali capital Mogadishu have been hit by car bombs and gunmen, according to international reports.

According to the BBC, the first car bomb went off in the early evening and it was immediately followed by five gunmen approaching from the beach, while a second car bomb was reported half an hour later.

So far, no information is available about casualties, with reports claiming the attack is still on-going. No group has said it carried out the attack, however, the BBC reports that suspicion has fallen on al-Shabab, an East African jihadi group,  which carried out similar bombings in the past.

Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has condemned the attack as "barbaric".

Reuters news agency reports that a police officer at the scene said that the gunmen were "still inside" one of the restaurants.

Lido Beach, one of the alleged targets, on the northern edge of Mogadishu attracts a vast number of young Somalis, and several restaurants have opened up along the beach front in recent years.