At least 5 killed in Somalia hotel attack, lawmakers safe

At least five people were killed after militants detonated two car bombs and opened fire at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu early Wednesday, police said.

A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the entrance of the Dayah Hotel, near the Federal Parliament building, followed by gunfire. A few minutes later, another car bomb went off.

The first explosion took place a few minutes past 08:00 a.m. local time, according to witnesses.

"There was a huge blast which shook the building I was in. As I came out another explosion went off," an eyewitness Yusuf Ahmed told Xinhua.

Newly-elected lawmakers were among those inside the hotel at the time of the attack, which comes as the Horn of Africa nation gears up for indirect election where MPs will choose a new president.

Five people have been confirmed dead in the blast while the lawmakers locked in the hotel were not hurt, police officer Ibrahim Nor told Xinhua.

"The militants tried to enter the hotel but they were repulsed by security forces," said Nor.

Most of the victims are reported to have died in the second explosion as emergency and rescue teams made their way into the scene.

Some buildings near the hotel were destroyed and five journalists from international news agencies were injured.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Michael Keating, condemned the bombing, terming the attackers "violence extremists."

Al-Qaeda-allied extremist group Al-Shabaab, which has been battling the Somali government for a decade, said it carried out the attack, claiming its militants killed several government officials.

The group was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 but still remains a potent threat and frequently stages attacks in the country.

source: Xinhua