"We were covered with smoke," he said. "Inside and outside the restaurant many people were lying on the floor while others were bleeding and crying."

Lido Beach was filled with scenes of loose sandals and other personal belongings on Saturday morning in the wake of the attack.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre vowed to take immediate action against the terrorists and announced heightened security to ensure the safety of civilians.

"The government is determined to eliminate the terrorists. The terrorists want to terrify civilians. Let the civilians report the terrorists hiding among them," the president's office wrote on X.