Reports have surfaced of an ongoing attack against the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. The attack began with an explosion from an apparent car bomb outside the hotel, followed by gunfire from within the hotel itself.
The SYL Hotel has an armed security team. A similar attack was carried out against the SYL a number of years ago in 2016 which killed 14 people, and ended when the SYL’s security killed the attackers.
While the perpetrators of the present attack are technically unknown, it is a tactic commonly employed by Al-Shabaab militants, who were responsible for the attack in 2016.
The SYL is located close to the Presidential Palace, and is frequented by government officials.
