Unidentified gunmen seized a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu after two car bombs and a shooting, police and intelligence officials said on Friday, Reuters reported.

“Two car bombs were targeted at the Hayat Hotel. One hit the barrier near the hotel, and then the other hit the hotel gate. We believe the fighters are inside the hotel,” a police officer who identified himself only as Ahmed Ahmed told Reuters.

Two intelligence officers, who did not want to be named, also confirmed the incident.

Abdikadir Abdirahman, director and founder of Aamin Ambulance Service in Mogadishu, told Reuters that they had so far taken nine injured people out of the hotel.

There were no details about the victim. A Reuters witness said the explosions had died down and sporadic gunfire could still be heard from the hotel.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist claims.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow the Somali government for more than 10 years to seize power and install a government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Hotel Hayat is a popular destination for parliamentarians and other government officials.

Police officers were conducting an operation to stop the attack, the state-run Somali National News Agency said on Twitter, citing a police spokesman.