Libyan car bomb targeting Tripoli militia kills one

Libyan police officers set up checkpoints in the Libyan capital Tripoli on January 25, 2015. By Mahmud Turkia (AFP)

Tripoli (AFP) - A car bomb exploded Monday near the Tripoli headquarters of a Libya militia which controls the capital, killing one person and wounding two others, a security source said.

The attack targeted the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade militia which occupies a former security building near the centre of the capital, said the source.

The militia is headed by Haitham al-Tajuri, a controversial interior ministry official, the source added.

The bombing came almost a week after a daring attack claimed by the Islamic State group against a luxury Tripoli hotel that killed nine people, including five foreigners.

Powerful militias, backing rival governments and parliaments, have been battling for control of key cities and the country's oil riches since a 2011 uprising toppled and killed Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The Islamist-backed Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) coalition seized control of Tripoli in August after fierce battles against rival groups.