Somali state minister was killed in Mogadishu Hotel attack

The State Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office for Environment, Buri Mohamed Hamza was killed on Saturday in the attack on the hotel  that was swiftly claimed by al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab militants.

The death of the state minister was confirmed by Somali ministry for foreign affairs on its twitter account.

Minister Buri Bur’i Hamza was a Member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia since August 2012 and he served as the State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from January to October 2014 and then the State Minister for Finance until December 2014.

The assault, the latest in a series by the Islamist group targeting hotels and restaurants, began when a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives outside the building.

Gunmen then stormed the Naasa Hablood hotel and gunfire rang out for several hours, witnesses said, before the authorities declared the attack over.

“The attack started with a heavy blast carried out by a brother who drove a car loaded with explosives. Gunmen fought their way into the hotel, and we believe that casualties were inflicted in the enemy’s ranks,” Al-Shabaab said.

Among those killed in the attacked were three Goobjoog news staff.

Police in Mogadishu, Somalia, have said  that the standoff has ended hours after the explosion.

Medical sources said some 24 civilians were wounded.

In a statement, Somali president  Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has condemned Al-Shabaab hotel attack and applauded the security forces for their swift response to end the deadly siege of the hotel.