'Briton' among four people killed by jihadists in ongoing hotel siege in Somalia
28 November 2022, 11:09 | Updated: 28 November 2022, 11:58
A British man is reportedly among four victims who were killed by Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia after they stormed a popular hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
The Briton was shot dead by the gunmen as they opened fire at guests inside the Villa Rose hotel. He had been in Somalia for less than two weeks.
Today, the hotel siege is still ongoing and gunfire and explosions could still be heard more than 12 hours after the militants, wearing suicide vests, stormed the hotel.
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Mohamed Dahir, an official from the national security agency, said the gunmen were holed up in a room at the Villa Rose surrounded by government forces.
He said: "So far we have confirmed the death of four people. Very soon the situation will return to normal."
Mohamed Doodishe, the country's security minister, was among those injured in the attack. He was among scores of people who were rescued from the hotel.
The Villa Rose is frequented by politicians and located in a secure central part of the capital just a few blocks from the office of Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Al-Shabaab, a militant group affiliated with Al-Qaeda that has been trying to overthrow Somalia's central government for 15 years, claimed responsibility for the attack.
