Bomb explodes outside Moroccan embassy in Libya

Bomb explodes outside Moroccan embassy in Libya hours after two people were shot outside South Korean Embassy in the same area

Bomb goes off outside Moroccan embassy in Libya
Bomb goes off outside Moroccan embassy in Libya

Security officials say that a bomb has exploded at the gates of the Moroccan embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The explosion followed two people being shot dead outside South Korea's embassy on the same day.

The BBC reports that there was some damage to cars nearby, but no reports of injuries have emerged. Furthermore, the embassy is not currently operational.

On Sunday, gunmen opened fire from a passing car on a security post at the South Korean embassy with the militant group Islamic State saying it had carried out that attack. According to The Guardian, both attacks were claimed by the IS militants.

A device was left in a bag at the gate at the Moroccan embassy in the Bin Ashour area of Tripoli, according to sources.

A witness told the AFP news agency that the blast in the early hours on Monday morning was "very strong, and the house was shaking for few seconds."

According to reports, it is unclear whether there was anyone in the embassy at the time. Morocco has hosted UN-sponsored talks between rival Libyan government factions.

In Sunday's attack on the South Korean embassy, a Libyan security guard and a civilian were killed, with a second guard wounded. According to reports, three South Korean nationals - two of them diplomats - were in the official residence at the time, which is in the same compound, but they were unhurt.

The embassy itself has been closed for several months, but officials continue to use it.

Libya has been in turmoil since the Nato-backed removal of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 while IS enjoys a presence in different parts of Libya, and says it is behind several attacks on foreign targets in the country, including embassies and oil fields.