Several explosions followed by gunfire hit a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, frequented by government officials, politicians and parliamentarians. The attack was claimed in a statement by the Somali jihadist group Al Shabaab.
The attack hit the Pearl Beach hotel, on the capital’s beach, around 7 pm Italian time. It appears that the explosions may have been the work of suicide bombers. According to the Somali State National News Agency (SONNA), the security forces are conducting an operation to neutralize the attackers who broke into the hotel and an unknown number of civilians have been rescued.
In the images published by SONNA, members of the police special forces armed with assault rifles are seen trying to take control of the situation on an upper floor of the hotel. EFE tried to contact the police to confirm if there were any casualties in the attack, but received no response.