Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said there is communication with Libyan tribes and political entities to avoid “any deterioration of the situation” of the Egyptians kidnapped in Libya and to discuss the “possibility of extracting” them. During a press conference on Saturday, the foreign minister described the issue as a “sensitive” one, adding “we recognize that this is a very serious situation and the potential for a negative development is always possible.” Twenty-one Coptic Egyptians were abducted in the Libyan city of Sirte on two separate occasions in December and January, only one week apart. Last week, pictures purported to show the Egyptian abductees went viral on social media after they were published by a magazine affiliated with Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria. Egypt has maintained that reports on the abductees’ deaths have yet to be verified. Shukri said everything possible is being done to ascertain what the situation is adding, “so far, we cannot confirm any reports on this.” He said that within official bodies and within the context of international cooperation between security bodies, there is no reason to believe that such reports are correct. “We…
Egypt ‘Cannot Confirm’ 21 Coptic Christians Killed By ISIS In Libya
February 14, 2015
