Gunmen on Saturday took hostages inside a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, after a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle outside the building, the Associated Press reported.
Somali security forces are battling with the attackers.
Witnesses and police officials told the AP that the gunmen were randomly shooting guests inside the hotel.
At least four bodies were seen outside the hotel, a police officer said.
No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, though the tactics are similar to those employed by the al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab.
The attackers “took positions behind blast walls and sandbags; fighting is still ongoing,” said police captain Mohamed Hussein.
The attack comes during Ramadan, a Muslim holy month. Extremists often step up terror attacks during Ramadan globally and in Somalia.
