Fighters from Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab claim to have set off two explosions next to the Somali Youth League hotel, also known as SYL, in Mogadishu, before reportedly storming inside and killing at least 12 people.
"We started with a car bomb and then stormed the hotel. We are inside it and fighting continues," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab's military operations spokesman, told Reuters.
Police report that the first bomb went off at 7:45 p.m. when it struck the gate of a park behind the hotel. The second one erupted soon after.
"One of the blasts took place near the Peace Gardens (park) and the other near the SYL hotel. I saw 12 dead civilians, but the toll may well be higher," Ibrahim Mohamed said, according to AFP.
A firefight between the hotel's security staff and gunmen soon broke out after the blasts, which al-Shabaab claims to have won before storming inside.
Though the militant group claims to be "in control" of the hotel, police have yet to verify that claim in a statement.
"I heard an exchange of gunfire around the area. I am not sure whether or not the attackers are in the hotel," Police Major Ahmad Ismail said.
It's not unusual for al-Shabaab to launch attacks in Mogadishu on Fridays - the first day of the Somali weekend- since it gives them a chance to increase the death toll as more people visit hotels and restaurants.
The attack comes just one day after al-Shabab launched a mortar attack on the presidential palace in Mogadishu that killed seven people.
