MOGADISHU, Somalia, Feb. 26 (UPI) — Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for detonating a car bomb outside a hotel in central Mogadishu on Friday and taking control of the building.
It is unclear if there were any casualties after the bomb went off outside the Somali Youth League Hotel and Mogadishu Peace Park just before 8 p.m. local time.
Witnesses said they also heard gunfire after the bombing. Some news reports said hundreds of people were nearby when the bomb went off.
The attack comes a day after a bombing on the presidential palace in Mogadishu that left three people dead.
