Islamic State raid on luxury Libya hotel: American among 10 killed, FBI to investigate

Tripoli: The Islamic State has said that the suicide raid carried on Libya's five-star Corinthia Hotel by its members that killed ten people, was in retaliation to the death of Libyan al Qaeda militant Abu Anas al-Liby, according to the SITE Intel Group.

The attackers barged into the hotel and first detonated a car bomb in the parking lot, killing three guards. The gunmen then entered the hotel and started firing randomly, killing among others five foreigners.

According to the Islamic State, the foreigners included an American, a Frenchman, a South Korean, and two Filipinos. The slain American has been identified as a contractor named David Berry, the CNN reported.

Berry was employed with the Crucible, a security firm. The FBI will soon open an investigation into the attack, the CNN reported citing US officials.

The five-star luxurious Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli is popular with high government officials and foreigners.

The terror tracking SITE Intel Group said on Twitter that the attack was claimed by a group calling itself Islamic State's “Tripoli Province”, in what they called the “battle for al-Liby”.

The IS's "Tripoli Province" in Libya claimed an attack on the Corinthia Hotel as the "Battle of Abu Anas al-Libi". pic.twitter.com/eu7Gjhyc24 — SITE Intel Group (@siteintelgroup) January 27, 2015

Abu Anas al-Liby, who was indicted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, was captured from Tripoli in October last year when US Navy SEALs  ended a 15-year old manhunt for him.

The Libyan Qaeda militant, al-Liby, who was born Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai had a bounty worth $5 million on his head.

Liby was also on FBI’s Most Wanted List.

Al Liby, who died earlier this month in a US hospital, was reportedly suffering from an advanced Hepatitis C and had developed liver cancer since his capture, his son Mouin had told the CNN.

Though the US Department of Justice said in court that al Liby died due to complications arising out of his previous health conditions that suddenly worsened, his family held the US government responsible for his death.

The IS have also identified their members who staged the attacked as Abu Ibrahim al-Tunisi and Abu Suleiman al-Sudani.

Two #ISIS fighters identified in #CorinthiaHotel #Tripoli attack: A Tunisian and Sudanese http://t.co/2FOiyBKCJN pic.twitter.com/Qk5pLVmf3q — Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) January 27, 2015