By Ajnadin Mustafa.
Tripoli, 31 August 2015:
A car bomb exploded outside the Tripoli headquarters of the Mellitah Oil and Gas company.
The car . . .[restrict]is understood to have been blown up in a narrow street beside the building in Dahra. Witnesses said two other cars nearby had exploded, possibly as a result of the first blast.
Mellitah is a joint venture between the National Oil Corporation and Italy’s energy giant Eni.
Initial reports of deaths and injuries appear to have been wrong and an Eni spokesman played down the results of the explosion, saying there there was little damage. However, those who have seen the wreckage say that the first floor of the building was badly damaged.
The attack happened after most office workers had gone home. It has also occurred on the eve of the 46th anniversary of the coup which brought Muammar Qaddafi to power in 1969. As a result, it was thought at first there might be a link.
However, this evening IS was claiming on Twitter that its “brave soldiers” had been able to bomb “the apostates”.
In what is seen as a disturbing development, a number of photographers taking pictures outside building after the explosion were arrested, allegedly by Rada forces, and were still being held by sunset this evening.
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