Bomb attack hits intelligence building in Benghazi

TRIPOLI - A bombing attack damaged the military intelligence building in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, early Wednesday morning, a security official told Xinhua.

There were no casualties in the attack, but the surface of the two-storeyed structure was seriously damaged in the explosion, according to Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Hydar, the official in charge of the security of the city. Several nearby buildings were also affected.

The attackers' identities remained unknown, he said.

There has been a wave of attacks against security installations in Benghazi since the start of Ramadan on July 20, and many of which were targeted at officials of the former Qaddafi regime, he added.

On Monday, security officials defused a time-bomb placed in a local upscale hotel.

The overall security situation was deteriorating in Libya with increasing incidents of abduction, robbery and other forms of violence, while a large sum of weapons in the hands of civilians has become the top security challenge.