Suspicions have fallen on the Ansar al-Sharia group. Islamic fundamentalists have abducted and killed other Christians in previous cases. On December 23, an Egyptian Coptic doctor and his wife were kidnapped and killed. Their 13-year-old daughter was also found dead two days later.

Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Egyptian Copts are very concerned over the abduction of some 20 of their co-religionists in Sirte, Libya.

Masked gunmen seized 13 Coptic Christian workers from Egypt on Saturdays, just days after seven others were abducted, a government source said.

The latter blamed Ansar al-Sharia for the kidnapping. The UN considers the group a terrorist organisation.

The circumstances in which the abductions occurred remain unclear. Even the identity of the abductees remains unknown, but the source is certain they were Egyptian Copts.

Despite Libya's perilous situation, many Egyptians work in the country. In the past, Islamic fundamentalists have abducted and killed Christians in a number of cases.

On 23 December, the family of an Egyptian doctor was kidnapped. Husband and wife were murdered on the same day and the body of their 13-year-old daughter was found two days later.

 

• libya
• egypt
• abductions
• copts