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24 July 2019 Mogadishu Bombing

SOLVED2019Mogadishu, Somalia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 24 July 2019, a female suicide bomber entered the office of Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman during a security meeting and detonated an explosive device. The blast killed six government officials and injured nine members of Osman's staff. Mayor Osman was critically wounded in the attack.

According to the available account, the apparent target of the attack was James Swan, a United Nations official, who had met with the mayor earlier but had already left before the bomber struck. Osman was transported for treatment and hospitalised in Doha, Qatar, where he succumbed to his injuries on 1 August 2019, one week after the attack. His death brought the total number of people killed in the bombing to seven.

The Islamist militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

This bombing occurred amid a period of continued Al Shabaab attacks in Mogadishu, and is noted alongside a separate bombing that took place two days earlier, on 22 July 2019, in the same city.

Key facts

Victims
Abdirahman Omar Osman
Date
2019
Location
Mogadishu, Somalia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2019-07-24

    A female suicide bomber detonated an explosive device inside Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman's office during a security meeting, killing six government officials and injuring nine staff members. Mayor Osman was critically wounded.

  2. 2019-08-01

    Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman died of his injuries in a hospital in Doha, Qatar, one week after the attack, bringing the death toll to seven.

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People

  • Abdirahman Omar Osman

    VICTIM

    Mayor of Mogadishu; critically wounded in the bombing and died of his injuries on 1 August 2019 in Doha, Qatar.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Mogadishu, Somalia

2.0333, 45.3333

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A female suicide bomber detonated explosives inside Mogadishu Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman's office during a security meeting on 24 July 2019, killing six officials outright; the mayor died of his wounds a week later. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility.
Where did the bombing happen?
Mogadishu, Somalia.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Somalia

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC24 July 2019 Mogadishu bombingWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 11, 2026