ISIS claimed responsibility for suicide attack in Tripoli – Updated

Suicide attackers stormed the Libyan foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli on Tuesday, killing at least three people including a senior civil servant in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Twenty-one other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.

A car bomb exploded near the ministry, prompting security forces to rush to the scene, said special forces spokesperson Tarak al-Dawass.

A suicide bomber then blew himself up on the second floor of the building while a second attacker died when a suitcase he was carrying exploded, he said.

Ghassan Salamé, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), underscored that the Organization “will not accept any attack on a state institution, especially one committed by a terrorist group”.

“Terrorism will not triumph over the Libyans’ decision to move forward towards building their state and renouncing violence,” he stressed.

Mr. Salamé, who is also the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said that the UN will continue to work with the Libyan people to “prevent terrorist groups from turning Libya into a haven or an arena for their crimes.”

He also contacted the Government of National Accord (GNA) to denounce the terrorist act, offer his condolences, and called on authorities “to enhance their protection of public institutions”. UNSMIL is following up with the authorities in Tripoli following on from the “tragic incident and stands ready to support”, added the statement.

The GNA was formed under the terms of a national political agreement, supported by the UN, in December 2015. Its formation was welcomed by the Security Council as the “sole legitimate government of Libya.”

In spite of efforts to establish peace and security across Libya, the country remains plagued by violence, often perpetrated by terrorist groups, including a deadly attack at the end of last month, on a police station in the country’s south-east.