By Noora Ibrahim.
Benghazi, 3 March 2014:
A body found yesterday in Benghazi’s Jarutha district is believed to be that of an . . .[restrict]Egyptian Coptic Christian, a source at Benghazi Medical Centre (BMC) has said.
The BMC doctor told the Libya Herald that, while the individual had not yet been identified, and his nationality and religion cold not be discerned by any other means, a small cross tattooed on his hand indicated that he was an Egyptian Copt.
The body, which had multiple gunshot wounds, was discovered by the Saiqa Special Forces and transferred to BMC.
This is the latest in a number of attacks in the city which appear to be targeting Egyptian Copts. Yesterday, an Egyptian grocer, also understood to be a Coptic Christian, was left in a critical condition after being shot and a week earlier, the bodies of seven Egyptian Coptic Christians were found on a beach in the Jarutha suburb of Benghazi.
The deaths have provoked anger and condemnation in Egypt, where yesterday the Egyptian Foreign Ministry urged its citizens to: “Exercise extreme caution in their movements in Libya, for the sake of security and personal safety, and in light of the current security situation.”
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdulaziz last week condemned the murders, saying they contradicted all religious creeds. He said the government was closely following the progress of investigations into the deaths and was making all possible efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. [/restrict]
