Al-Shabab suicide bombers and gunmen have attacked a seafront restaurant and cafe in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, police and witnesses said.

A car laden with explosives rammed into the Beach View Hotel on Lido beach on Thursday evening, after which several al-Shabab fighters opened fire at the hotel, witnesses told Al Jazeera.

“After the blast, I saw at least four armed men run into the hotel, shooting everyone inside and around the hotel,” Mustafa Elmi, a Lido beach visitor, told DPA news agency.

“I managed to escape with minor wounds, but there were people who were shot dead on the spot,” he added.

A second explosion hit the nearby Lido Seafood restaurant, where several gunmen were reportedly holed up.

“The lights at Liido Seafood have just been switched off. Heavy gunfire is now ongoing,” Abdirizak Mohamud, a freelance journalist at the scene, told Al Jazeera.

“More and more security forces are now going into the restaurant. They have pulled out three injured victims so far,” Mohamud added.

I unreservedly condemn the barbaric attack @ Liido. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims #Somalia

— SomaliPM (@SomaliPM) January 21, 2016

The Lido beach area is home to several restaurants, which are usually full on Thursday nights – the start of the weekend in Somalia.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to Al Jazeera. The spokesman also said the attack was ongoing.

Somalia’s nearly decade-long battle with al-Shabab has claimed thousands of lives.

Last week, the group attacked Kenyan forces at an African Union military base in the southern Somali village of El-Ade.

The group claimed to have killed about 100 Kenyan soldiers in that attack.

Source: Al Jazeera