Libyan Authorities Recover Bodies of Beheaded Copts

Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
TT

Libyan Authorities Recover Bodies of Beheaded Copts

Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo

Libyan authorities have recovered the bodies of 21 Coptic Christian workers, mostly Egyptians, beheaded in 2015 by ISIS in the coastal city of Sirte.

Sadiq Al-Sour, head of investigations for the Attorney General’s office, said last week that Libyan authorities had arrested a senior ISIS commander who supervised the beheadings.

“He gave details on the incident and indicated their place of burial,” Sour said.

“We are seeking with military authorities in the central region to discover where the bodies are, and hopefully we will find them, despite the time that has passed,” he added.

The beheaded bodies in orange uniforms were reportedly found with their hands cuffed to the backs. They included 20 Egyptians and one African.

The killings were documented in a grisly video released online by the terrorist organization that shocked Egypt and led it to launch punitive airstrikes.



France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
TT

France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)

Paris declined to comment on Algeria’s “strong condemnation” of the French government’s decision to recognize Morocco’s claim over the Sahara.

The office of the French Foreign Ministry refused to respond to an AFP request for a comment on the Algeria’s stance.

It did say that further comments could impact the trip Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is set to make to France in late September or early October.

The visit has been postponed on numerous occasions over disagreements between the two countries.

France had explicitly expressed its constant and clear support for the autonomy rule proposal over the Sahara during Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s visit to Morocco in February, reported AFP.

The position has helped improve ties between Rabat and Paris.

On Thursday, the Algerian Foreign Ministry expressed “great regret and strong denunciation" about the French government's decision to recognize an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region "within Moroccan sovereignty”.

Algeria was informed of the decision by France in recent days, an Algerian foreign ministry statement added.

The ministry also said Algeria would draw all the consequences from the decision and hold the French government alone completely responsible.