Mogadishu, Oct 6, (dpa/GNA) – At least seven people were killed, when militants from the al-Shabaab terrorist group attacked a high-security prison in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday, security officials confirmed.
Three gunmen are still at large in the Godka Jilacow prison, which is very close to the presidential palace in Mogadishu’s Bondhere neighbourhood.
Four of the attackers were killed in a gun battle with the prison guards, senior security official Abdihamid Dhangad told dpa.
He added that one prisoner and two security officers were also killed.
According to police officer Mohamed Dahir, the attack was launched with a suicide car bombing, after which armed men entered the prison.
The prison, which is used to interrogate suspected extremists, consists of multiple underground rooms, Dhangad said.
Al-Shabaab, an insurgent group seeking an Islamist state in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack on its radio Andalus.
GNA