Gunmen entered the luxury Corinthia hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli yesterday, and opened fire killing four hotel guests and five guards. Ten other people were wounded during the attack.
The deadly assault triggered a stand-off with security forces that ended when the gunmen set off a grenade, killing themselves.
Since the ousting and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Lybia has been torn apart by different factions, militia, and tribes vying for power across the country. Violence and lawlessness are commonplace.
Since Gaddafi’s demise, Lybia has been effectively divided in two, with separate governments and parliaments ruling the east and west of the country with their own agendas and militia.