Gunmen loyal to a rogue general have stormed the Libyan parliament after bombarding the building with rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft weapons.
Heavy smoke was seen coming from the building in the country's capital, Tripoli.
A spokesman for General Khalifa Haftar said his forces were responsible for the raid.
Mohammed al Hegazi told the television channel Alahrar it was carried out in order to arrest Islamists, but General Haftar's forces were met with resistance.
"These are members of the Libyan National Army," he said, using the name of the irregular forces commanded by Gen Haftar.
Al Hegazi called the parliament the "heart of the crisis" in Libya, and added: "This parliament is what supports these extremist Islamist entities.
"The aim was to arrest these Islamist bodies who wear the cloak of politics."
MP Omar Bushah told the Reuters news agency the gunmen had stormed offices in the General National Congress and set it on fire.
Gen Haftar's forces have been fighting militants in Benghazi A journalist from the Associated Press reported seeing militias armed with machine-gun mounted vehicles near the building.
Roads leading to parliament have been sealed off and residents were seen rushing home.
The parliament is split between Islamist and non-Islamist forces who have argued over choosing a new government and holding fresh elections.
A security official said the gunmen have also shelled a nearby military base controlled by an Islamist militia.
The Al Qaaqaa and Sawaaq militias are both based near the parliament. They operate under the government's mandate but support non-Islamist political forces.
Gen Hafter is waging an offensive against militants in Libya's second largest city, Benghazi.
Authorities have accused him of carrying out a coup, but Gen Hafter has said they have no mandate and has vowed to continue.
Fighting in Benghazi broke out on Friday, leaving 70 people dead.
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