Al-Shabab Islamists Claim Attack on Mogadishu Hotel – 20 Dead

Some 20 people, including senior officials, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital, witnesses have told the BBC.

The Central Hotel, often frequented by politicians, was hit by a car bomb and a suicide attack. Gunmen then stormed the hotel mosque and opened fire during Friday prayers.

An MP and Mogadishu’s deputy mayor were among the dead, the government says.

Islamist militant group al-Shabab has said it was behind the attack.

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