2nd LD: Four killed in Mogadishu hotel attack: police

At least four people were killed and two others injured on Friday evening as gunmen stormed two hotels near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said.

The casualty figures are for the attack on Hotel Wahliye where one attacker first detonated a car bomb followed by other gunmen storming in, Ahmed Shire, a senior police officer, told Xinhua.

Government forces exchanged gunfire with the gunmen and eventually "overpowered them", Shire said, adding that all the streets leading to the hotel have been closed with tight security in place.

The militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack on Wahliye Hotel.

Another hotel, Siyad, was also attacked by gunmen, sparking a heavy exchange of gunfire, Shire said.

Al-Shabaab has carried out waves of attacks in Somalia and its neighboring countries, particularly in Kenya. Endi