Mogadishu , Somalia ( CNN ) Gunmen detonated bombs and sprayed people with bullets as they raided a hotel in Somalia 's capital late Friday afternoon , killing a Somali diplomat and at least five other people in an attack claimed by Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab , officials said . Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari-Bari , Somalia 's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva , Switzerland , was among those killed in the attack at the the Makka Al Mukarama hotel in Mogadishu , the Somali government said . The attack began around 5 p.m. when a car bomb exploded at the hotel 's entrance , according to witness Aden Hussein , who said he was meters away from the hotel when the blast happened . Gunmen then went inside the hotel , shooting people , Hussein said . One of the attackers , wearing a belt with explosives , blew himself up inside the hotel , police Capt . Ahmed Abdi said . A few hours after the assault began , state-run media reported that security forces stormed the building and killed the remaining assailants . The attackers killed at least six people , Abdi said . The hotel , which is along a highway leading to the country 's presidential palace , is popular with lawmakers , journalists and business people . An Al-Shabaab spokesman , Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab , told CNN that the group was behind the attack . He said Al-Shabaab fighters were conducting an operation at the hotel against what he said were spies and government officials . Al-Shabaab has been active in Somalia for years . Initially its goal was implementing a stricter form of Islamic law , or Sharia , by warring against the Somali government . It has since shifted its focus to launching terror attacks in Somalia and beyond . Journalist Omar Nor reported from Mogadishu . CNN 's Jason Hanna wrote from Atlanta .
Islamic diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva was among those killed , government says . Witness : Attackers detonated car bomb , then shot people inside hotel . Hotel is popular with lawmakers , journalists and business people .