Gunman attack national oil headquarters in Libya

Gunmen stormed the headquarters of Libya’s national oil company in Tripoli on Monday, setting off explosions, taking hostages and spraying gunfire, leaving several people dead or wounded before forces aligned with the government took control of the building. The identity and motives of the assailants were not clear.

The oil company said two of its employees had been killed and there were reports of two gunmen killed, putting the total number of dead at four. But an employee who escaped the assault said he believed that as many as six people were killed, including three of the assailants.

The attack follows a month of escalating violence among rival militias competing for control of Tripoli, the capital, where a U.N.