At least eight people were killed in an attack on a hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
Witnesses told VOA's Somali Service that on Friday night, Hayat at the KM4 junction near his hotel, heard two or three explosions.
A police officer told Reuters that a car bomb hit him near the hotel and another hit the hotel gate.
Gunshots could still be heard early Saturday morning as police tried to force the attackers out of the hotel, he reported.
Several people were injured in the incident.
The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the blast. A statement on the group's website said, "Our fighters have seized the hotel and are now fighting inside. We are targeting government officials in the hotel."
Somalia The group, which has been in rebellion in Mogadishu for about 15 years, often targets cafes and hotels like Hayat in Mogadishu.
Some information in this report was provided by Reuters, Agence France-Presse and AP.
