Daesh has claimed responsiblity for a car bombing outside a popular hotel in the Libya's capital Tripoli, the Anadolu Agency said Tuesday.
Libyan security forces have surrounding the hotel, where five gunmen are still be located, according to one hotel employee, who spoke with AP.
Hassan al-Abey, a corporate sales manager at the Corinthia Hotel, told the news agency that masked gunmen stormed the luxury hotel Tuesday morning after detonating a car bomb in the parking lot. Three guards were killed in gunfire and one gunman was apprehended.
In an ongoing standoff, security forces are believed to be actively engaged with the remaining militants inside the hotel, while conflicting reports suggest a possible hostage situation.
Some news outlets have speculated the attack could be in retaliation to the death of alleged al-Qaeda linked Abu Anas al-Libi, who was captured by US forces during a Libya raid and died in a US hospital earlier this month. The attacked hotel popular among foreigners visiting Tripoli.
Libya has been wraught with violent clashes since the 2011 ousting of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi sent govenrment-loyalist forces and Islamist militias into a bloody volley for power for the oil-rich nation.
