A hostage situation left five people dead at a beach restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, authorities said.
The standoff started Thursday when three attackers armed with AK-47 riffles stormed the restaurant and clashed with security forces stationed around the building, said Capt. Abdulkadir Mohamed of the Somali police.
So far, at least 30 people have been rescued, he said.
It was unclear whether the standoff was ongoing Friday morning.
Somali militant group Al-Shabaab regularly attacks hotels popular with Westerners in the capital. In June, gunmen stormed a hotel in Mogadishu after detonating a car filled with explosives at the gate — an attack that left at least 15 people dead and 25 others injured, police said.
Police responded and engaged in a gun battle with the suspects for several hours. The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for that attack.
The June attack occurred three weeks after suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen set off an explosion and stormed another popular Mogadishu hotel, killing at least 13 people. Three attackers were also killed.
The June 1 siege occurred at the Ambassador Hotel, a popular spot for Somali politicians and Westerners.
Al-Shabaab militants want to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state.
The group has been blamed for attacks in Somalia that have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers.
