2015 kidnapping and beheading of Copts in Libya
On 9th February 2015, the Islamic State (IS) released a report in their online magazine Dabiq showing photos of 21 Egyptian Christian construction workers that they had kidnapped in the city of Sirte, Libya, and whom they threatened to kill. The men, who came from different villages in Egypt, 13 of them from Al-Our, Minya Governorate, were kidnapped in Sirte in two separate attacks on 27 December 2014, and in January 2015. A video was subsequently released showing their murder.
21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya | |
|---|---|
| Martyrs | |
| Born | One from Ghana, others from Egypt |
| Died | 15 February 2015 Southern Mediterranean Sea Coast, Sirte, Libya (murdered by the Islamic State) |
| Cause of death | Decapitation |
| Resting place | Village of Al-Our, Samalut, Minya, Egypt |
| Venerated in | Oriental Orthodoxy Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 21 February 2015, Cathedral of the Martyrs of the Faith and Homeland, Al-Our, Samalut, Minya Governorate, Egypt by Pope Tawadros II |
| Major shrine | Church of the Martyrs of the Faith and Homeland, Samalut, Egypt |
| Feast | 15 February (Gregorian calendar) 8 Amshir (Coptic calendar) |
| Attributes | |
| Patronage | |
| Part of a series of articles on the |
| Modern persecution of Coptic Christians |
|---|
| Overview |
| Terrorist attacks |
| Figures |
This was not the first time that Egyptians in Libya had been the subject of abuse for political reasons, a pattern that goes back to the 1950s.
In 2014, a militia group in eastern Libya declared its affiliation with IS and then took over parts of Derna in late 2014. People allied to the group claimed responsibility for attacks across the country, including the Corinthia Hotel attack in January 2015.
On 19 April 2015, IS released another video in which they murdered about 30 Ethiopian Christians.
The victims, all but one being members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, were formally declared saints and martyrs in February of 2015 by Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. In 2023, Pope Francis announced that the 21 Coptic men murdered by IS would also be commemorated by the Catholic Church and listed within the Roman Martyrology in what was described as a major ecumenical decision. The martyrs are commemorated on 15 February (civil calendar) in both churches.