This archive report was first published on 17 August 2020.
On Sunday evening, a hours-long siege occurred at Elite Hotel, a beachside facility located along Mogadishu's popular Lido beach, where Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to reports, the death toll is feared to be close to 20 with over 30 wounded persons.
The attack began with a blast from a car loaded with explosive material, followed by a group of fighters barging into the hotel, prompting an exchange of fire with the facility's armed security personnel.
Al-Shabaab announced through its broadcaster, al-Andalus, that its forces waged an operation against a hotel owned by a member of Somalia's federal parliament.
People in the area reported hearing sounds of gunfire and occasional explosions, while the owner of the hotel, MP Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, was inside the hotel when the assault started.
He posted a message on Twitter, saying, 'Some people died and others were wounded. I beg Allah's clemency for the dead and prompt recovery for the inured.'
Initial reports confirmed the death of the Head of Department for Regional Relations for the Ministry of Information, Mr Abdirizak Abdullahi Abdi, and the Federal Information Minister sent condolence messages to the family of the deceased.
The wounded include Ms Faiza Bella, a singer with Heegan band in Mogadishu, and it is believed that the attackers were four, with two of them reported killed during the three-hour long gun battle with government security officers deployed as reinforcement.
