Briton among 26 dead after suicide blast at Somali hotel

Hodan Nalayeh, who was among those killed in today's attack in Kismaayo, Somalia.

A Briton was among 26 people slaughtered in a suicide bombing and mass shooting at a hotel in Somalia.

The terrorist attack in the port city of Kismayo also left more than 50 people seriously injured.

At least four al-Shabab extremists stormed the Asasey Hotel on Friday evening. The attack began with a suicide car bomb at the entrance gate, then an assault by gunmen.

The bomb blast left holes in balconies and obliterated an outdoor seating area.

Journalist Jamal Osman who saw the aftermath said: “I saw a notebook of someone who was planning a meeting she or he will never attend, suitcases of someone who just arrived in Kismayo, a half-full cup of tea that will never be finished.”

Fifty-six people were injured and 26 died before Somali forces ended the siege which lasted more than 14 hours.

Among the dead foreigners were three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, a Canadian and a Briton, according to Ahmed Madobe, the president of Jubbaland regional state.

Somali troops shot dead all attackers in the hotel compound, a police spokesman said.

The Briton who died has not been named. The Foreign Office said: “We are in touch with the local Somali authorities and seeking more information following an explosion in Kismayo.”

Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, have claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group, which is allied to al Qaida, often uses car bombs to infiltrate heavily fortified targets.

Among those killed were Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh and her husband Farid Jama Suleiman.

Omar Suleiman, a Texas-based imam who knew the victims, said: “I’m absolutely devastated by the news of the death of our dear sister Hodan Nalayeh and her husband in a terrorist attack in Somalia today. What a loss to us. Her beautiful spirit shined through her work and the way she treated people.”

Ms Nalayeh was born in Somalia in 1976 but spent most of her life in Canada.

She founded Integration TV, an international web-based video production firm aimed at Somali viewers around the world. She was the first Somali woman to become a media owner.