Suicide attackers stormed the Libyan foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli yesterday, killing at least three people including a senior civil servant, the authorities said.

Ten other people were wounded in what the foreign ministry said was a suicide attack carried out by "terrorists".

A car bomb exploded near the ministry, prompting security forces to rush to the scene, said special forces spokesman Tarak al-Dawass, accusing the Islamic State jihadist group (IS) of responsibility. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A suicide bomber then blew himself up on the second floor of the building while a second attacker died when the suitcase he was carrying exploded, he said.

A third assailant, who was unarmed and wearing a bulletproof vest, was killed by security forces outside, Dawass added.

At least three people were killed and 10 wounded, according to the health ministry.

A civil servant who headed a department in the foreign ministry was among the dead, security sources said.

Torn apart by power struggles and undermined by chronic insecurity, Libya has become a haven for jihadists since the ouster and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.