A suicide car bomb exploded at the gate of a Mogadishu hotel, killing five people, including three security guards and a hotel employee in the Somali capital .
International news sources are reporting that two to six people may have been killed in the blast.
There were around 70 members of a Turkish delegation inside the hotel when the attack took place.
According to Somali police spokesman Col. Qasim Roble, a car loaded with explosives rammed into a convoy carrying Turkish foreign ministry officials around 2:45 p.m. local time. However, no Turkish officials were injured.
Somalian Prime Minister Omar Abirashid described the attack as “barbaric” and added that it will not “frighten the country from moving forward.”
The attack came a day before Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Somalia. Meanwhile, Turkish officials said President Erdogan’s trip will go ahead as planned .
Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu , said Ankara will investigate whether the blast was a deliberate attack on the Turkish contingent.
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