TRIPOLI – At least nine people were killed, including six perpetrators and three guards in a failed attempt to storm the prison of Mitiga near the capital Tripoli.The attack was attributed to the Libyan branch of the Islamic State group.
Spokesman of the task force monitoring the prison, Moaz Khalil told EFE that the six perpetrators, who had explosive belts strapped to their bodies, came out of a nearby mosque and entered the detention center after shooting the doors with RPGs.
Armed clashes took place inside the prison, in which all six attackers were killed as well as three guards, while several other prisoners and police officers were wounded in the incident.
Khalil added that the perpetrators stormed into the prison and made their way to a cell where prisoners accused of committing terrorist attacks were detained.
He said they then provided the prisoners with weapons and grenades in order to secure a way out.
Libya has fallen prey to political chaos and daily violence since the fall of the regime under Muammar Gaddafi in Oct. 2011.
Since then, the Arab country has two parallel governments, one in Tripoli and the other internationally-recognized one in Tobruk, while both are fighting for power and control of natural resources.
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