Egypt’s government said Friday it was “working around the clock” to secure the release of six Egyptian Coptic Christians who were kidnapped in conflict-ravaged Libya. “The six Egyptians are detained in an illegal immigration centre in western Libya,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. They had travelled to Libya across the border from Egypt “with work permits stipulating their presence only in the east of Libya”, it added. Media outlets close to the Coptic Orthodox Church said the men had been abducted while travelling between Benghazi and Tripoli. Egypt’s foreign ministry said it had met with the families of the abducted more than once as part of its efforts to gain their release.
