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Libya gunmen attack Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli | Libya gunmen attack Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Militants have attacked a hotel popular with foreigners in Libya's capital, killing three guards and injuring 12 other people, officials say. | |
Several gunmen stormed the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli and opened fire in the reception area. A car bomb also exploded outside the hotel. | |
Some of the gunmen are still thought to be inside the hotel. It is not clear whether any staff or guests are there. | |
One foreigner, a Philippine national, was among the injured, officials said. | |
A Twitter account linked to Islamic State said the group had attacked the hotel. The claim could not be verified. | |
A civilian who witnessed the attack told the BBC: "I suddenly heard shots and saw people running towards me, and we all escaped from the back [of the hotel] through the underground garage. The hotel did a lockdown after that." | A civilian who witnessed the attack told the BBC: "I suddenly heard shots and saw people running towards me, and we all escaped from the back [of the hotel] through the underground garage. The hotel did a lockdown after that." |
The total number of attackers is not clear. Different sources at the scene said there were between three and five. | |
A security source told the BBC that one gunman had been arrested, and that another two assailants were still inside the hotel. | A security source told the BBC that one gunman had been arrested, and that another two assailants were still inside the hotel. |
Security forces have gathered around the hotel following the explosion and the BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the surrounding area has been sealed off. | |
A number of foreign companies have makeshift offices in the hotel, our correspondent adds. | |
One hotel employee told the Associated Press news agency that the hotel was mostly empty at the time of the attack. | One hotel employee told the Associated Press news agency that the hotel was mostly empty at the time of the attack. |
Meanwhile, a hotel security source told the BBC that the hotel had received a threat "a few days ago" warning managers "to empty the building". | Meanwhile, a hotel security source told the BBC that the hotel had received a threat "a few days ago" warning managers "to empty the building". |
'Reprehensible act' | |
The Corinthia Hotel is popular with foreign diplomats and government officials. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil) has hosted several workshops at the hotel. | |
Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign affairs chief, condemned the attack as "another reprehensible act of terrorism which deals a blow to efforts to bring peace and stability to Libya". | |
"Such attacks should not be allowed to undermine the political process," she added. | |
The Twitter account linked to IS said that the group had carried out the attack in revenge for the death of Abu Anas al-Liby, a Libyan jihadist who was suspected of involvement in the bombings of two US embassies in East Africa in 1998. | |
Liby died in a US hospital on 2 January, days before he was due to stand trial. | |
Correspondents say it is difficult to assess whether IS has a presence in Libya. | |
A number of attacks in the country have been claimed by social media accounts that say they represent the jihadist group, however it is hard to verify their claims. | |
Libya has been hit by instability since the overthrow of long-time ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. | Libya has been hit by instability since the overthrow of long-time ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. |
Numerous militias govern their own patches of territory, with successive governments struggling to exercise control. |