Tripoli // Nine people including at least five foreigners were killed on Tuesday in an assault on a luxury hotel in the Libyan capital Tripoli, a spokesman for the security services said.
The dead included three security guards killed in the initial attack on the Corinthia Hotel, five foreigners shot dead by gunmen and another person taken hostage by the attackers, Issam Al Naass said.
ISIL fighters claimed responsibility for the attack, the SITE Intelligence monitoring group said on Tuesday.
In a message on Twitter, the ISIL branch in western Libya said that its militants had stormed the hotel, which is known for hosting foreign diplomats and Libyan officials, SITE said.
The nationalities of the foreigners and the person taken hostage were not immediately known, but Mr Al Naass said two of the foreigners were women.
The hostage died when the three gunmen blew themselves up after being surrounded on an upper floor.
“After being pursued and surrounded on the hotel’s 24th floor, the attackers detonated explosive belts they were wearing,” Mr Al Naass said.
The 24th floor is normally used by Qatar’s mission to Libya but no diplomats or officials were present there during the assault, a security source said.
The head of Libya’s self-declared government, Omar Al Hassi, was inside the hotel at the time of the attack but was evacuated safely, according to Mr Al Naass.
Mr Al Hassi’s administration is jostling for power with the internationally backed government of prime minister Abdullah Al Thani, formed after a parliamentary election in June.
Several others were wounded in the attack, the sources said. Several ambulances were gathered near the hotel.
It was not clear whether any guests remained inside the hotel, which is a major hub for diplomatic and government activity in Tripoli.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini expressed concern, calling the attack “another reprehensible act of terrorism which deals a blow to efforts to bring peace and stability to Libya.”
She expressed “solidarity with the victims and their families” but provided no details of casualties.
“Such attacks should not be allowed to undermine the political process,” Ms Mogherini said in a statement.
A new round of UN-mediated peace talks between Libya’s rival factions kicked off in Geneva on Monday as they seek to implement a road map on forming a unity government.
The nation has been wracked by conflict since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi in a 2011 uprising, with rival governments and powerful militias battling for control of key cities and the country’s oil resources.
The Fajr Libya militia alliance took control of Tripoli last summer, forcing the country’s internationally recognised government to flee to the far east.
The luxurious Corinthia was long considered a haven in a city beset by unrest, with officials, diplomats and foreign businessmen crossing paths in its lavish reception area.
In October 2013, then prime minister Ali Zeidan was seized by gunmen from the hotel, where he was residing. He was released after several hours.
