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Security forces and emergency services have surrounded the hotel
Militants have attacked a hotel popular with foreigners in Libya’s capital, killing at least three people and injuring 12 others, 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.
Unconfirmed reports say some of the assailants have blown themselves up and that foreigners are among the dead.
A Twitter account linked to Islamic State said it carried out the attack.
The claim could not be verified.
Operation ‘over’
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 – one says that several of the attackers have blown themselves up.
A security source told the BBC that one gunman had been arrested.
BBC