At least eight people, including five foreigners, were killed in an attack by Islamic State jihadists on the luxury hotel "Corinthia" in Tripoli.
Among the dead are two women, a security official as well as two attackers, the director of the Libyan special defense forces, Mahmoud Hamza, told local television, Reuters reported.
Hamza did not say the nationality of the foreigners who died. Earlier today, a security official said that armed persons killed three guards and took hostages in the "Corintija" Hotel, in front of which a car bomb exploded.
One of the employees said that five masked attackers broke into the hotel after security failed to stop them.
According to him, there were guests from Italy, Great Britain and Turkey in the hotel, which is mostly empty.
Fighters of the Islamic State in Libya claimed responsibility for the attack on the luxury hotel "Corinthia" in Tripoli, announced the group that monitors the activities of terrorists "SITE". In a message on Twitter, the branch of the Islamic State in western Libya announced that their jihadists broke into the hotel, known for the fact that foreign diplomats and Libyan officials mostly stay there, AFP reported.
The manager of that hotel, Hassan al-Abey, said that five masked attackers broke into the hotel, shooting into the air.
Al-Abey added that the hotel was evacuated before attackers in bulletproof vests clashed with security and detonated a car bomb in the parking lot in front of the hotel. The hotel was mainly occupied by guests from European countries and Turkey, the manager said. There have been frequent bombings in Tripoli since the civil war began in Libya in 2011.
Bonus video:
