Libyan security forces on Tuesday rescued 12 foreign nationals from a prominent Tripoli hotel who, it was feared, had been taken hostage by militants earlier.
"The 12 foreigners have left the 21st floor [of Tripoli's Corinthia Hotel] to the 26th floor, where they were rescued by security forces," a hotel source told The Anadolu Agency.
"The hotel is now empty," the source said.
Unidentified militants had stormed the hotel earlier Tuesday amid heavy gunfire.
A source told AA that the militants had ascended to the 21st floor, which houses foreign diplomats and employees of foreign companies, where, it was feared, they had taken several foreign nationals hostage.
Earlier Tuesday, a car bomb exploded outside the hotel – a preferred venue for high-profile meetings and conferences – in an attack later claimed by a group linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
At least two people were killed and several others injured by the bombing, according to a medical source.
On Tuesday afternoon, security official Essam al-Naas had told AA that police were besieging the militants inside the hotel.
Libya has remained in a state of political turmoil since the ouster and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Over the past year, the conflict has evolved into a violent power struggle between two rival seats of government.
Vying for legislative authority are an internationally-recognized House of Representatives, which convenes in Tobruk, and the Islamist-led General National Congress, which – even though its mandate ended last year – continues to convene in Tripoli.
The two assemblies back two rival governments respectively headquartered in Tobruk and Tripoli.
While the House of Representatives is supported by much of the Libyan army and troops loyal to former army commander Khalifa Haftar, the General National Congress is backed by Islamist militias that helped topple Gaddafi in 2011.
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