Police say at least 6 militants dead after car bomb, gunfire attack on Somalia parliament

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Militants in Mogadishu on Saturday carried out a multi-pronged, complex attack against the country’s parliament building involving a car bomb, suicide bomber and gunmen on foot, police said.

At least seven people were killed, including six attackers and one soldier who tried to stopped a suicide bomber from entering the building, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.

Many members of parliament were inside the building as the attack unfolded.

Gunfire and two blasts rang out near the building long after the attack began and after police had confirmed six attackers’ deaths, suggesting other militants may have also been involved. Security forces shot and killed four men, Hussein said. The two other attackers who died were the driver of the car bomb and the bomber on foot.

Al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked group, has carried out several such complex attacks in Mogadishu, including on the city’s main court complex and attempts against the presidential palace. The group was booted out of the capital in 2011 but still controls wide areas of southern Somalia.