DUSHANBE, January 29, 2015, Asia-Plus — The Tajik MFA information department says there are no Tajik nationals among those killed in the Libya hotel attack.
We will recall that CNN reported on January 28 that at least 10 people and two attackers were killed in Tuesday”s (January 27) attack against the luxurious Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli.
Esaam al-Naas, a spokesman for a security division of the Ministry of Interior in Tripoli was quoted as saying that five foreigners — one American, one French citizen, and three people from Tajikistan — were killed in the attack.
The Libyan branch of ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, and released photos of the two gunmen, it said had carried out the attacks as Abu Ibraheem Al-Tunsi and Abu Sulaiman Al-Sudani. Their naming convention indicates that the men were of Tunisian and Sudanese origin, respectively.
Al-Naas earlier said at least two Libyan security personnel had been killed in the attack and that three gunmen were holed up in the hotel.
An online group that supports ISIS said the attack was carried out in the name of Abu Anas al-Libi.
Al-Libi was an alleged al Qaeda operative accused of involvement in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa. He was captured by U.S. special forces in Libya. He died in a U.S. hospital this month.
The attack reportedly began when militants detonated a car bomb in the parking lot of the hotel. The gunmen then shot their way into the hotel.
Guests were evacuated to safety, however. The five-star hotel is popular among government officials, some of whom reside there.
