Libya to return bodies of slain men to Egypt

Seven Egyptians shot dead in Libya will be returned home and transported to Sohag, according to the Egyptian military.

The victims were found Monday in the Libyan capital of Benghazi with gunshot wounds to the head and chest. Sources at the Benghazi medical center reportedly told the Middle East News Agency that the victims were found in handcuffs and had likely died immediately.

The ambulance transferring them to the hospital was also attacked in a drive-by shooting, injuring the driver and a medic, EgyNews reported at the time.

Armed Forces spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Ali offered condolences to the families of the victims during an interview with private television channel Sada al-Balad Tuesday.

“The Armed Forces are a part of the Egyptian people, and every member of the army represents an Egyptian family,” he said.

When the bodies arrive in Egypt, a military plane is scheduled to transport them to Sohag.

The motives and circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. Some media reports have speculated that there may be sectarianism involved, alleging that the victims were Coptic Christians. It has also been suggested that their deaths were the result of a fight with smugglers helping them to illegally emigrate from Egypt via Libya.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the Libyan prime minister strongly condemned the killings and ordered an investigation as well as facilitating the transfer of the bodies, privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.