(Libyan Flag / Wiki Commons)

The explosion demolished the embassy’s ground-floor and perimeter wall as well as damaging surrounding homes and burning several others cars parked in a residential neighborhood in Tripoli, the Libyan capital city.  

The BBC reported that neighbors came outside to see the damage and were shaken by the attack. 

“It was a big mistake to site the French embassy in our neighborhood,” a resident told the BBC. 

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz called the bombing a “terrorist act,” but no group or person has claimed responsibility. 

French President Francois Hollande said that the attack was “unacceptable.”  

"France expects the Libyan authorities to shed the fullest light on this unacceptable act, so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice," Hollande said. 

Since France sent troops to Mali in January to combat an Islamist insurgency all French embassies in northern Africa have been put on high alert. But some neighbors complained to the BBC that there was a lack of proper security. 

Read the full story here.

Email Danielle Tarasiuk here.