The Al-Shabaab militant group has claimed responsibility for two explosions that rocked the Somali capital of Mogadishu Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, Somali police Major Ahmed Ibrahim said.
Attackers detonated a truck bomb and then stormed the Daya hotel, which is near the country's parliament building and popular with both lawmakers and government officials, Ibrahim said, adding that the death toll could rise.
Heavy gunfire was heard inside the hotel while dozens of people, including politicians, were staying at the hotel at the time of the attack.
The Islamist extremist group al-Shabaab claimed the attack through its online radio, Andalus, saying its fighters entered the hotel and an "operation is ongoing".