Libyan Islamists Kidnap 20 Egyptian Christians

According to a source close to the Libyan government and witnesses, Islamists in the country have kidnapped 20 Coptic Christians from Egypt in recent days; over the past year, Egyptian Christians in Libya have been targeted for kidnapping and murder. The French news agency reports, citing a source close to the government, that the group 'Ansar al-Sharia' kidnapped 13 individuals on Saturday, January 3, in the northern city of 'Sirte', with the rest taken in the days prior. The Associated Press also reports, quoting a witness at the scene, that the attackers, after assaulting a residential complex, asked residents to show their identification and separated Christian workers from Muslim workers. The exact identity of the kidnapped individuals has not been confirmed, but it is said that they are Egyptian Copts. Copts are descendants of indigenous Egyptians who practice Christianity. In February of last year, the bodies of seven Egyptian Christians were found in Benghazi, shot dead. Last week, a Coptic couple was murdered in their home, and the body of their 13-year-old daughter, who had been kidnapped, was later found. The Libyan government, recognized by the international community, fled to the eastern city of Tobruk under Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani after Islamist attacks last year took control of the capital. Since the fall of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has not been effectively governed by a central authority.