At least nine people, including five foreigners, have been killed in an attack on the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli, after several gunmen attacked the building.

A car bomb was set off outside the hotel and gunmen clashed with security forces in the attack.

Officials say the stand-off has now been brought to an end.

The death of one French citizen and one American citizen has been confirmed by their respective governments. In a statement to the Associated Press, the CEO of US security company Crucible said the American victim was one of his contract employees.

A Twitter account claiming to be operated by the jihadist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim has yet to be confirmed.

In November 2014, a militant group operating in Libya’s east declared allegiance to Isis, but it is not clear what kind of communications or command structure are in place with the groups under the control of the organisation’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The latest attack has come amid UN-mediated peace talks between the two rival governments that have been battling for control of the country’s oil revenues.

On 27 January, the UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil) released a statement saying two days of talks had been concluded in Geneva.

“Discussions were conducted in a positive atmosphere reflecting the sense of national responsibility and a sincere determination to find solutions to end the political and military conflict buffeting their country,” the statement said.

Currently, Libya’s internationally recognised government is based in the eastern city of Tobruk, while an Islamist-led government holds power in Tripoli.

Representatives of both governments have condemned the attack on the Corinthina hotel, according to the statement from Unsmil.

“They emphasised that such attacks would not derail the political process and would in fact create an incentive for all the Libyan sides to forge ahead with efforts to stabilise the country and prevent the terrorists from taking advantage of the security chaos to consolidate their presence in Libya,” it said.

The Corinthia hotel was previously considered one of the safest places in the city and has been used as a base for officials from the Washington-based World Bank, as well as the Qatari embassy and as the residence of former Libya Prime Minister Ali Zeidan while he held office.