"There were ministers and legislators inside the hotel. I have seen many people with injuries, including a lawmaker," Nur Mohamed, a police major told reported.
At least 8 people confirmed dead. Eyewitnesses say MPs are among those killed.
For the past seven years, the Mogadishu government has been under assault by the al-Shabaab Islamist group, which wants to topple the UN-backed government and create an Islamic state on the controlled territories. The ongoing political crisis in Somalia stems from 1991, when the clan-based opposition groups overthrew the Revolutionary Socialist Party.
Since then, the country has been without an effective government, with the internationally-recognized federal authorities controlling only the capital city of Mogadishu and a part of central Somalia. The other areas in the country are self-governing or controlled by unrecognized state formations.
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