An attack by al-Shabaab on a Mogadishu hotel was underway Friday night. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a place frequented by the authorities.
In August 2020, al- Shabaab launched a major attack on the Elite, another hotel on Lido Beach, killing ten civilians and a policeman. It took security forces four hours to regain control of the facility. The al-Qaeda-affiliated group has been fighting the internationally backed federal government for more than fifteen years.