Somalia's Olympic Head Killed in Blast

At least 10 dead, dozens wounded
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 4, 2012 6:35 AM CDT
Somalia's Olympic Head Killed in Blast
In a photo taken March 19, 2012, Somalis attend a concert by Somali singers at the Somali National Theater in Mogadishu. Two top sports officials were killed in a blast April 4, 2012, at the theater.   (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

At least 10 people, including the presidents of Somalia's Olympic committee and the country's soccer federation, were killed in a blast at the national theater in Mogadishu today. The suicide blast occurred during a ceremony at the theater, which was closed as Somalia's civil war began and recently reopened for the first time in two decades. Government officials and dignitaries were among the attendees, and dozens more were wounded, including Somalia's national planning minister, the AP reports. Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, who was in attendance but unhurt, blamed al-Shabaab militants for the attack, the BBC adds. (More Somalia stories.)

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