Tripoli’s Al Hassi blames Tobruk for Corinthia attack

The terrorist attack at the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya, that killed at least nine civilians including an American security contrator, was carried out by the internationally-recognised government of Abdullah Al Thinni with the help of Egypt, not by Islamic State militants, according to the head of the disputed government that currently controls Tripoli.

Omar al-Hassi, who presides over the Government of National Salvation and is the head of the Libya Dawn [Fajr Libya] coalition, told Josh Rogin of Bloomberg that the attack on the Maltese-owned Corinthia hotel was not carried out by Islamic State militants.

Al Hassi claimed in a telephone interview that his intelligence services had determined that the social media sites from a Tripoli ‘branch’ of the Islamic State, the terrorist organisation that seeks the creation of an Islamic caliphate across the Middle East, were not authentic sources.

According to social media sites, the attack on the Corinthia by two ISIS affiliates was avenging the death of an Al Qaeda suspect who died in custody in New York, while facing terrorism charges for the bomb attacks on US embassies in Africa that had killed hundreds.

His regime is locked in a battle with an internationally recognized government that fled to the eastern city of Tobruk last August, headed by General Khalifa Haftar.

“Criminal gangs took innocent lives from foreigners and Libyans,” al-Hassi told Bloomberg. “These foreign visitors were here to help lend their expertise on the rebuilding of Libya and to give us from their experience.”

An American security contractor, identified as David Berry, was one of the victims.

Al Hassi said that after the attack, government forces increased security at the hotel, and offered security and assistance for any who wanted to leave Tripoli.

Al Hassi is accusing the Tobruk-led government, which is also supported by renegade general Khalif Hiftar’s Operation Dignity, of orchestrating the attack.

“We have seen initial reports on Facebook and social media from some sites that they are saying they are from ISIS and are claiming the attack. Following up with our own intelligence services, we have seen that these social media are not authentic sources,” he told Bloomberg.

“We do believe this action was taken by the Haftar government with the possible aid of Egyptian intelligence, in an operation to try to show that there is instability in the capital, where we have provided stability for the residents, and to give the impression that terrorist organizations are able to operate in Tripoli.”

Hiftar-led forces and Misratan-backed miliatis supporting the Tripoli government have been locked in a civil war since the fall of several Libyan adminstrations that succeeded the fall of the Gaddafi dictatorship.

Al Hassi often resides and works from inside the Corinthia Tripoli Hotel, but he was not there at the time of the attack.

“We have received regular threats from the Haftar government calling us criminals, they have bombarded our civilian airports, our seaports, they have been responsible for the displacement of many women and children,” Hassi said.

The Tobruk government is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, who last year attacked Tripoli with air strikes without informing the United States.

Turkey and Qatar support the Hassi coalition.

Hiftar’s forces are fighting various Islamist groups in Benhgazi, and Islamic State-linked militants largely control the city of Derna.

The United States Government does not recognize the Government of National Salvation, GNS, in Libya.

While several governments have called on all parties to participate in discussions in Geneva led by United Nations official Bernardino Leon, al-Hassi told Bloomberg that “Leon's process does not have the right people at the table.”

He wants the United States to deal with his government now, not wait for UN discussions. “Our Supreme Court have the salvation government of Libya official legitimacy as the government of Libya and that is the government I preside over today.”