Car bombs kill two in Libya's capital

Two car bombs have exploded in the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing two people and injuring several others.

The first bomb went off early on Sunday in a main street near a military college used as a base for former rebel forces, killing two and wounding four people, according to a security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak to the media.

Thirty minutes later, a cab parked in a narrow alley by the Interior Ministry exploded, wounding several people.

The official said a third car bomb was discovered, also near the ministry, but was defused.

The bombings came on the eve of the first anniversary of the fall of Tripoli. On August 20, 2011, rebel fighters behind the eight-month uprising to topple Muammar Gaddafi's regime liberated the city.

Gaddafi was captured and killed last October but many Libyans are convinced that some of his associates remain at large around the country.

After Sunday's blasts, officials blamed Gaddafi loyalists, saying they were plotting attacks and seeking to spread fear among the public and prevent the country from returning to normalcy.

"I hold former regime aides fully responsible for this cowardly action," said the deputy interior minister, Omar al-Khadrawi, as he visited one of the sites of the blasts.

He said "the same kind of bombs and the same tactics and equipment" were used in previously foiled car bombing attacks in Tripoli.

The city security authorities went on high alert after the bombings, which came just hours before Muslim prayers are to take place at the main Tripoli square for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan.

Low-level attacks have been on the rise in both Benghazi, to the east, in Misrata, in central Libya, and in the capital, Tripoli.

Last month, Libya elected its first parliament after the nation's first-ever free vote.\

The house elected a president earlier this month and is now trying to form a new government.

The future cabinet faces a mountain of challenges, including the need to form a strong national army under which militia groups would unite and follow one central command.