2015 Central Hotel attack

On 20 February 2015, a vehicle laden with explosives struck the gate of the Central Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, where numerous Federal Government of Somalia officials had gathered for Friday prayers at the compound's mosque. Gunmen then breached the premises and opened fire inside the mosque. Police Major Nur Mohamed stated that a suicide bomber also detonated himself within the complex during the assault.

Casualty figures varied by source. Police reported at least 11 people killed, with several others injured. A presidential palace official said the death toll exceeded 25, including Mohamed Adan Guleed, the Deputy Governor for Political Affairs of the Benadir region. Federal Parliament General Secretary Abdikariim Hajji Abdi Buuh confirmed that legislators Omar Ali Furdug and Mohamud Duaale were among those killed, while MP Abdikadir Ali Omar was injured. Minister of Information Mohamed Hayir Maareeye said Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omar Arte and other federal ministers were present in the compound at the time but survived.

An Al-Shabaab spokesman later claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that the group had targeted the officials during prayer time in retaliation for what it termed "apostasy" and for the deployment of foreign African Union troops in Somalia. Security forces cordoned off the surrounding area following the attack.

Numerous international and regional figures condemned the attack and expressed condolences to victims' families, including Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, the Somali Forum for Unity and Democracy, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay, OIC Secretary-General Iyad bin Amin Madani, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Nicholson, and US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki. Several of these officials also reaffirmed commitments to continued reconstruction and development work in Somalia.

In response, Somalia's Federal Cabinet convened and announced the formation of a security committee to investigate the circumstances of the attack, along with a ministerial committee to follow up on the situation. Within hours, state security forces launched a citywide security sweep, apprehending 12 suspected Al-Shabaab members for interrogation, including some of the hotel's security guards. Municipal police were placed on high alert, and additional soldiers were deployed to major roads throughout Mogadishu.