MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Security forces in Somalia have ended an hourslong extremist attack on a beachside hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, state media reported Saturday.

There was no immediate official word on any deaths.

Al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack, which began Friday night. The Somalia-based extremist group is known for carrying out attacks on hotels and other high-profile locations in Mogadishu, usually starting with a suicide bombing.

Witnesses had told The Associated Press that some people were trapped inside the Pearl Beach hotel, which is popular with government officials. The Lido Beach area is one of Mogadishu’s most popular.

An eyewitness, Abdulle Ali, who went to the scene to look for a missing relative, told the AP that he saw four bodies being put into an ambulance. They all appeared to be civilians, he said.