Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Al Qaida was believed to have conducted a car bombing
against a Western embassy in Libya.

On April 23, Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is said to
have detonated a car bomb in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. AQIM targeted
the French embassy and two guards were injured in the blast.

“I send my solidarity and deepest sympathy to the two injured French
guards and my wishes for their recovery,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

The bombing was the first on a Western embassy since the civil war in
Libya in 2011. In September 2012, Al Qaida-aligned fighters stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Officials said Al Qaida detonated up to two bombs in the early-morning
attack, which took place during the visit by the French parliament to Libya. They said the bombing destroyed the outer wall of the French embassy as well as the first floor of the building.

AQIM has warned France of retaliation for its air strikes on Mali, a
campaign that began in March. France has been on alert in several North
African states, including Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

“France expects the Libyan authorities to ensure that all possible light
is shed on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and
brought to justice,” French President Francois Hollande said.

  Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, Al Qaida said responsible for bombing of French embassy in Tripoli, Francois Hollande, Laurent Fabius