Twin car bombing in Libya

Posted on August 19, 2012

A man examines the car destroyed close to a women's police academy in Tripoli.
Photo source : Ismail Zitouny/Reuters

Twin car bombing in Libya


At least two people have been killed in a twin car bomb attack in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

The attacks took place as Libyans prepared for mass morning prayers to mark Eid el-Fitr, the Muslim celebration at the end of the fasting month Ramadan.

The first bomb blew up near the interior ministry's administrative offices in Tripoli. Police found another car bomb at the site of the explosion that had not blown up.

Minutes later, another bomb exploded near the former headquarters of a women's police academy on Omar al-Mokhtar Avenue, which the defence ministry has been using for interrogations and detentions.

The city's head of security, Colonel Mahmoud Sherif, said the blast outside the military academy left two people dead and four or five injured.

No casualties were reported from the other explosion, he said.

Emergency crews rushed to the scenes of the blasts, which were cordoned off.

Mr Sherif blamed Gaddafi supporters for the attacks, who he alleged were receiving financial backing from contacts based in neighbouring countries.

Challenge of violence
Earlier this month, Libya's interim National Transitional Council handed power to a newly elected assembly, in the first peaceful transition in the country's modern history.

Violence has however, remained a challenge for the government, with several attacks taking place in the eastern city of Benghazi in recent months.

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced that it was suspending its activities in Benghazi, Libya's second biggest city, and Misrata, after one of its compounds in Misrata was attacked with grenades and rockets.

BBC/ALJAZEERA/Ibisaki/Hajia Sani