Al Shabaab attacks Somali parliament, at least 10 dead

Somali government soldiers take their positions during a clash with Al Shabaab militants outside the Parliament buildings in the capital Mogadishu, May 24, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Faruk

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab militants stormed Somalia's parliament on Saturday, killing at least 10 security officers in a bomb and gun assault that the United States condemned as a "heinous act of terrorism."

The attack started with a car bomb at a gate to the heavily fortified parliament compound, followed by a suicide bombing and then a gun battle that continued for hours. Al Shabaab is an al Qaeda-linked group that killed 67 people at a Kenyan shopping mall last year.