‘Explosion targets’ Mogadishu hotel used by Somali officials

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Suspected al-Shabab fighters storm the Villa Rose hotel, close to the presidential palace, with explosives and guns, police say.

Suspected al-Shabab fighters have attacked a hotel used by government officials in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a police officer has told Reuters.

The attackers stormed the Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the presidential palace, with explosives and guns, said police officer Mohammed Abdi on Sunday. It was not immediately clear how many attackers there were, he said.

The state minister for the environment, Adam Aw Hirsi, wrote on Twitter that he was safe after a “terrorist explosion targeted at my residence” at the hotel, where many government officials stay.

The attack comes as al-Shabaab has intensified attacks in Somalia, with at least 100 people killed in twin car bombings on October 30.

At least 21 people were killed in August when al-Shabaab a hotel in Mogadishu. The al-Shabaab group also claimed an attack on a hotel in the southern city of Kismayo last month that left nine people dead.

More soon.