Extremist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for an attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The militants said that they had set off bombs before storming the Hayat Hotel, which is sometimes used by Somali government officials.
In a statement, the group said it was in charge of the hotel and that it was “shooting everyone.”
Local media sources that did not give their names said that there were a lot of gunshots and multiple explosions that involved suicide bombers.
According to reports, the gunmen and the Somali government security personnel are exchanging gunfire. The security forces in Somalia have not yet made any remarks about the incident.
The hotel is in an important green zone because it is close to the airport and is sometimes used by government officials. Who committed the attack or the situation of that inside is yet unknown.
“Hotel Hayat was targeted by two vehicle explosives. The first one struck a nearby barrier, and the second one struck the hotel's gate. We think the combatants are at the hotel, “Ahmed, a police officer, is quoted by the news agency Reuters as saying.
