American believed dead in Tripoli terror attack

An American citizen is among at least eight believed dead after masked gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Tripoli. 

A senior official with the State Department would only confirm that a U.S. citizen had died in Libya. But local reports suggest that five of the eight killed in the reception area were foreigners, including an American security contractor and a French national. 

{mosads}A Twitter account linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took responsibility for the attack. The shooters are believed to have blown themselves up with grenades inside the hotel. 

Earlier Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki condemned the terror attack and offered her condolences to the victims and their families. 

“Violence will not resolve Libya’s problems and this attack cannot be allowed to impede the critical work that is underway to find a political solution,” she said. 

There has been constant violence within Libya since the 2011 civil war that ousted Moammar Gadhafi. Rival governments have claimed legitimate rule, leading to bloody clashes across the country, and pockets of extremist militants have gained a foothold. 

In 2012, terrorists attacked a U.S. compound in the costal city of Benghazi, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. 

Psaki said the U.S. remained “firm in our commitment to supporting the U.N. efforts that are underway to help the Libyan people build an inclusive system of government.”