Libya: Gadhafi Loyalists Blamed For Tripoli Bombings

Libyan authorities say a double car bombing that killed two people in the capital, Tripoli, was the work of loyalists of ousted dictator Moamar Gadhafi.

The two bombs went off in within minutes of each other early Sunday as Libyans were preparing to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival that ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The first vehicle blew up on a main Tripoli street near a military academy, causing the two fatalities. The second vehicle exploded on a side street near the Interior Ministry. Several people were wounded in the blasts. Authorities also discovered and defused a third car bomb in the area.

Officials blamed Gadhafi loyalists, whom they said used the same explosives and tactics as the perpetrators of at least one recent attack in Tripoli. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday’s bombings, which were among the deadliest in the capital since rebels overthrew and killed Gadhafi last year.

Libyan authorities accuse Gadhafi supporters who fled to neighboring countries of trying to destabilize their efforts to transition to democracy. Libya’s recently-elected national assembly faces major challenges including unifying various militia groups who took part in the revolution under a central command and disarming former rebels who refuse to join that process.