By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 22 February 2015:
The two bombs that exploded outside the Iranian ambassador’s residence this morning were deposited in . . .[restrict]bags hidden by bin-bags of rubbish, according to a member of the Diplomatic Police.
“Someone left the bags here at around 9.45, with bags of rubbish, in two separate places,” he said. “One was left outside the main gates, and the other a few metres from a smaller gate leading to the front door.” The two devices exploded about thirty minutes apart, he said.
He confirmed that no-one had been killed or injured in either blast, adding that the premises were vacant at the time of the explosion.
Security guards had originally suspected a third device was in the premises, security members guarding sealed off roads said. When the building was searched, however, no further devices were found.
The use of second and even third bombs to kill and injure those who have responded to an initial bomb blast is a standard Al-Qaeda practice.
The Iranian ambassador’s house is in an area of the Ben Ashour district of Tripoli that houses a number of other diplomatic missions. The Hungarian, Portuguese and Ukrainian embassies are all nearby. The Hungarian embassy, the last European mission left open in Libya after the Italians evacuated last week, temporary closed its mission just three days before the attack.
A source at the Ukrainian embassy said the bombs had exploded just 50 metres away and had shattered windows in the mission. The incident, in Tripoli’s already precarious security situation, could force the embassy to take action, the source said.
Glass was blown in and drain covers blown out in many neighbouring residences. One of these is owned by the members of the family who started Libyan publishing house Darf Publishers. Usama Fergani sadly showed how every window in his villa had been shattered. Broken tiles and distorted pieces of the metal gates to the embassy were found lying in his garden.
Another local resident, living on the street behind the Iranian embassy described how the two big explosions, around 30 minutes apart, shook the building and rattled the windows.
The Islamic State has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. [/restrict]
