At least seven people were killed and several others were injured on Saturday when militant group al Shabaab attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, Reuters reported, quoting a local police officer. The hotel in the Somalian capital is around a mile away from the city's airport, according to BBC.

"At least seven people died in the blast and 10 others were wounded. We have rescued many people from the back door," police officer Ali Hassan said, adding that the militant group members set off a bomb before entering the building.

"They started with a suicide bomb and then stormed in. Now they are inside and the heavy exchange of gunfire continues," local police spokesperson Maj Nur Farah confirmed.