Mogadishu, Mar. 15, (dpa/GNA) – At least six people were killed in an attack by the Islamist terrorist militia al-Shabaab on a hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The situation was not yet under control on Friday after explosions outside the Syl Hotel the previous evening.

A suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives in front of the building, then al-Shabaab fighters stormed into the hotel, which is popular among the city’s political elite.

On Friday morning, eyewitnesses said shots were fired in the building and the surrounding area, and a helicopter was circling at a low altitude above the hotel.

Suspected terrorists were believed to be holed up in the building.

“As far as we know, one terrorist, three hotel security officers and two members of the security services were killed in the attack,” said police spokesman Qasim Ahmed Roble on Friday.

Around 10 people were injured, including a member of the Somali parliament, a spokesman for the security forces said.

A large number of people had been evacuated from the hotel to safety.

The Syl Hotel has been the target of several al-Shabaab attacks in the past, although it is actually in an area of the city with high levels of security due to its location opposite the presidential palace.

Al-Shabaab attacks have already increased in recent years during Ramadan, which began earlier this week. In recent weeks, the terrorist militia had been trying to regain ground in Mogadishu after having been pushed back in recent years, giving the capital’s residents a period of relative stability.

GNA