A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden car at the gate of a Mogadishu hotel , and at least four gunmen have taken hostages inside the building following a furious shootout with police . At least nine people were killed in the initial blast , while an unknown number of government officials remain trapped inside the building amid sporadic exchanges of gunfire , officials have said . While the hotel , located in Somalia 's capital , is popular with government officials , it remains unclear who is being targeted in the attack . However , Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility . Scroll down for video . Two locals carry a wounded boy from the scene of the suicide bombing in Mogadishu today . A hotel guest desperately tries to make his way to the roof of the hotel as militants storm the building . Police and security forces stand guard at the scene of the car bombing as they exchange gunfire with militants inside the building . Somali police take aim as they walk outside the Hotel Maka Al-Mukaram , where an unknown number of people are being held hostage . A Somali man stands next to the wreckage of a car a suicide bomber used to kill at least nine people . Two men badly injured in the bomb blast are helped by a local amid the chaos of the attack . The attack started when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car at the gate of the hotel today . Gunmen then quickly moved in . Police captain Mohamed Hussein said he had counted at least nine bodies at the scene , and the death toll is likely to rise . Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has issued a statement taking responsibility for the blitz . 'We are behind the Hotel Maka Al Mukaram attack , and fighting is still going on inside , ' the group 's military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said . Police surrounded the Hotel Maka Al Mukaram , but heavy gunfire from militants prevented them from mounting a rescue operation . The remains of two destroyed cars could be seen at the gates of the building . 'The hotel is now fully under the control of the militants , ' Major Ismail Olow , a Mogadishu police officer at the scene , said . 'Al Shabaab fighters are on the top of the building and inside the hotel . It is not easy for us to go in . ' Two policemen take up positions near the hotel during their shootout with al-Shabaab extremists . Police officials peer into the hotel complex after a suicide bomber destroyed its gates earlier today . Al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab regularly carries out attacks in the Somali capital in a bid to unseat the country 's Western-backed government . Two police officers take cover behind a wall of the hotel 's exterior during the standoff with the militants . Locals lower a man onto a stretcher after he was injured in the deadly bomb last which killed nine . Soldiers and policemen carry a woman from the scene amid a hail of gunfire . Al-Shabaab routinely carries out suicide bombings , drive-by shootings and other attacks in Mogadishu , the seat of Somalia 's Western-backed government . The militants have continued to launch attacks in Mogadishu despite being ousted from their bases in the seaside city in 2011 . Al Shabaab was pushed out of the capital by African peacekeeping forces , but have waged a series of gun and grenade attacks , looking to overthrow the government and impose its strict version of sharia law on the country . An offensive launched last year by African Union forces along with the Somali army has driven the group out of its strongholds in central and southern Somalia , while a series of U.S. drone strikes have killed some of its top leaders . Despite the military campaign , al Shabaab has continued to strike back with often devastating effect using hit-and-run bomb and gun attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other towns . It has also struck out at countries supporting the African Union mission . Security forces discuss how best to tackle the hostage situation which broke out earlier this afternoon . A soldier walks past the gate of the hotel , which is left mangled after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car . Two men carry an injured boy from the scene of the attack , for which al Shabaab have claimed responsibility . Gunfire erupted between security forces and the militants after they stormed the hotel . Pictured is a policeman running into position . Soldiers armed with assault rifles take position of the area devastated by a suicide bomber .
Nine erupted as four gunmen storm hotels popular with government officials . Earlier , a suicide bomber detonated explosives - laden explosives at the hotel gates . Police surrounded the hotel but came under fire from Al - Shabaab gunmen . ISIL 's al Qaeda - linked group has claimed responsibility for the attack . There remains an unknown number of civilians trapped inside the building .