Libya brands car bomb attack on French embassy as 'terrorist act'
Source: AFP |
April 24, 2013, Wednesday
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A car bomb hit France's embassy in Libya yesterday, wounding two French guards and a Libyan teenager and causing extensive damage in the first attack on a foreign mission since militants stormed the US consulate in Benghazi in September.
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz branded the bombing a "terrorist act", and French President Francois Hollande said Tripoli must act quickly to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Libya is plagued by a lack of security following the 2011 ouster of dictator Moamer Kadhafi and as French forces are engaged in a battle against Islamist extremists in Mali, another North African country.
The blast occurred around 7:10am local time, Tripoli security chief Mahmud al-Sherif said, after an explosives-laden car was parked outside the mission's front door. Sherif said "this was not a suicide bombing," adding that "we face several threats and enemies, and it is too early to point to any party in particular."
An AFP correspondent said the wall surrounding the property was destroyed and the embassy building extensively damaged, with one French employee saying "there's nothing left of my office."
The explosion, which created a deep crater in the street, destroyed two cars parked nearby, damaged two neighboring villas and blew out the windows of a shop 200 meters away.
A French source said one guard was seriously wounded and another lightly hurt in the attack on the mission, housed in a two-storey villa in the upmarket Gargaresh area.
Interior Minister Ashur Shwayel said one of the guards had injuries to his back and head and was in stable condition after undergoing surgery.
Libyan news agency Lana added that a girl living in the neighborhood was also hurt.
Jamal Omar, who was slightly injured, said the car must have been parked only minutes before the explosion.
"I was sweeping outside my house, and there wasn't any car in front of the embassy. The explosion happened less than five minutes after I went back inside."
Odious act
France condemned the "odious" attack. "In liaison with the Libyan authorities, the services of the state will do everything to establish the circumstances of this odious act and rapidly identify the perpetrators," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement. "This attack could have been absolute carnage. It was a matter of minutes: if the staff had been there this would have been a terrible tragedy," Fabius said.
"This attack was meant to kill. France will not surrender," he said. "This attack targeted not only France but all of the countries who are fighting against terrorist groups."
Fabius arrived yesterday afternoon in Libya where he was due to visit the scene of the attack and then hold a news conference with Libya's National Assembly chief Mohammed al-Megaryef, officials said.
"France expects the Libyan authorities to ensure that all possible light is shed on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice," Hollande said.
Libya's foreign minister declined to speculate on who carried out the attack or what the motive was.
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz branded the bombing a "terrorist act", and French President Francois Hollande said Tripoli must act quickly to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Libya is plagued by a lack of security following the 2011 ouster of dictator Moamer Kadhafi and as French forces are engaged in a battle against Islamist extremists in Mali, another North African country.
The blast occurred around 7:10am local time, Tripoli security chief Mahmud al-Sherif said, after an explosives-laden car was parked outside the mission's front door. Sherif said "this was not a suicide bombing," adding that "we face several threats and enemies, and it is too early to point to any party in particular."
An AFP correspondent said the wall surrounding the property was destroyed and the embassy building extensively damaged, with one French employee saying "there's nothing left of my office."
The explosion, which created a deep crater in the street, destroyed two cars parked nearby, damaged two neighboring villas and blew out the windows of a shop 200 meters away.
A French source said one guard was seriously wounded and another lightly hurt in the attack on the mission, housed in a two-storey villa in the upmarket Gargaresh area.
Interior Minister Ashur Shwayel said one of the guards had injuries to his back and head and was in stable condition after undergoing surgery.
Libyan news agency Lana added that a girl living in the neighborhood was also hurt.
Jamal Omar, who was slightly injured, said the car must have been parked only minutes before the explosion.
"I was sweeping outside my house, and there wasn't any car in front of the embassy. The explosion happened less than five minutes after I went back inside."
Odious act
France condemned the "odious" attack. "In liaison with the Libyan authorities, the services of the state will do everything to establish the circumstances of this odious act and rapidly identify the perpetrators," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement. "This attack could have been absolute carnage. It was a matter of minutes: if the staff had been there this would have been a terrible tragedy," Fabius said.
"This attack was meant to kill. France will not surrender," he said. "This attack targeted not only France but all of the countries who are fighting against terrorist groups."
Fabius arrived yesterday afternoon in Libya where he was due to visit the scene of the attack and then hold a news conference with Libya's National Assembly chief Mohammed al-Megaryef, officials said.
"France expects the Libyan authorities to ensure that all possible light is shed on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice," Hollande said.
Libya's foreign minister declined to speculate on who carried out the attack or what the motive was.
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