A suicide car bomber crashed his vehicle into a gate outside a hotel in the Somali capital, and the attack was followed by gunfire, killing at least 10 people including two members of parliament, police said.
Al-Shabab fighters claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack targeting Mogadishu's Ambassador Hotel, which is frequented by diplomats, government officials and Somalis visiting from abroad.
"We attacked the hotel with a car bomb and we went inside. We shall give details later," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab's military operations spokesman, told Reuters.
As of 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, authorities told Al Jazeera that special forces have taken control of the hotel compound, and rescued many people inside the hotel. But eyewitnesses contradicted the report saying the fighting is still ongoing.