President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohammed, escaped death on Saturday, after the al-Shabab militant group attacked Hotel Naasa-Hablood, where he was scheduled to hold a meeting.
At least 18 people were killed and more than 30 wounded after the militants attacked the hotel close to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, capital of the country.
Two suicide bombers detonated car bombs outside the entrance.
The al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack on the hotel, which is frequently used by politicians and other members of the city’s elite.
A third blast occurred when an attacker detonated a suicide vest.
Speaking to The Associated Press by telephone from the scene, Mohamed Hussein, an army captain, said more than 20 people, including government officials, were thought to be trapped as security forces battled extremists holed up on the top floor of the hotel.
The attack comes two weeks after more than 350 people were killed in a massive truck bombing on a busy Mogadishu street–the country’s worst-ever attack.
