Claims responsibility for Misrata attack leading to killing of 4

A major attack on the court buildings in Misrata this morning is reported to have killed four people and seriously injured 15.  At least a further 25 are said to have been wounded in what appears to have been a coordinated assault for which the so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility.

The court was in session when it was attacked around 11.30 am by three men who started shooting.It was initially suggested that the assault may have been an attempt to free IS members who were on trial. However, the mayor of Misrata, Mohamed Eshtewi, has said that no IS trial was taking place.

According to a court employee, he and his colleagues were told that they were being attacked by IS and were given guns to defend themselves.  The shootout lasted for over half an hour during which the judicial police and support units that arrived to help them managed to kill one of the attackers.  One of the others then blew himself up on the second floor. Video footage shows the second floor windows being blown out.

The third terrorist then blew himself up on the ground floor. Reports of a car bomb outside the court were not true. Defence ministry and formerly Bunyan Marsous spokesman Mohamed al-Ghasri has said that the attack targeted the head of the court, Assadik Badi, saying it was in revenge for statements he had made about IS.

The area around the complex was initially cordoned off amid fears of further attacks. Misrata Central Hospital put out an appeal to staff to come in and help deal with the wounded. Misrata suffered a number of suicide bombings in 2015 and last year. But despite fears that IS cells would revert to to the tactic after their defeat by Misrata-led forces in Sirte, there have been no attacks – until now.

Condemnation of the attack, and condolences for those killed has been coming from all quarters in Libya, including from Khalifa Hafter. Three of the dead have been named as police officers Mohamed Al-Naali, Abdussalam Abuali and Mohamed Jibril.

On its hand, UNSMIL has condemned as despicable the Misrata courthouse suicide storming this morning as the mayor put the city on the highest state of alert.

“Indiscriminate attacks against civilians,” it said, “including employees of the judicial institutions, are violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and cannot be justified. Those behind today’s bombing and other such despicable acts must face justice”.

UNSMIL chief Ghassan Salamé sent his condolences to the families of those killed and wished a swift recovery to those who have been injured. Misrata’s mayor Mohamed Eshtewi has declared the highest security alert in the city. He said that the vehicle used by the attackers, an Hyundai Santa Fe had been found and it contained weapons and ammunition.

He also announced measures involving foreigners and internally displaced people in the city but did not spell out what they involved.  He asked that there should be no interference. Eshtewi also denied reports that there had been members of the so-called Islamic State on trial in the courthouse at the time of the attack. The court was conducting its normal business, he said.

On the political side, The World Bank, in concert with outside governments and other institutions, should help set up a fund to pay for urgently-needed repairs to infrastructure, Presidency Council (PC) head Faiez Serraj has said.

There was an interdependence between Libya’s political and economic crises Serraj told World Bank MENA vice-president Hafez Ghanem in Tripoli yesterday. He pressed the bank to hold urgent technical meetings with the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) planning and finance ministers and Libyan experts. The PC needed support to solve what he described as the bottlenecks in terms of cash, water, sanitation, health and power as well as general infrastructure.

Serraj proposed to Ghanem that the World Bank, working with other institutions such as the African Development Bank and the islamic Development Bank as well as national governments, should establish a fund for reconstruction.  The PC’s reports of the meeting did not mention any figure that Serraj might have had in mind.

Nor was it made clear where this proposed new fund would sit with the Stabilisation Facility for Libya, a $60 million programme which went live a year ago. This was intended to fund “quick wins” such as the repair of local power transformers, sewerage systems and roads damaged in fighting. A dozen international donors pledged $34 million. The original plan had been for the PC to put in half the money. The programme, whose governing board includes representatives from the PC and UNSMIL, was due to end last month.