Indirect info suggests two metropolitans kidnapped in Syria were executed

Indirect info suggests two metropolitans kidnapped in Syria were executed. (IF).

Moscow, December 2, Interfax - According to some reports, two Syrian hierarchs, namely Orthodox Church of Antioch Metropolitan of Aleppo Paul and Syro-Jacobite Metropolitan of Aleppo John-Ibrahim, kidnapped in 2013, were executed.

"Leader of the only Middle Eastern Orthodox Party Mashriq Roderick Khoury spoke of this at a meeting with coordinator of the inter-faction State Duma deputy group for the protection of Christian values Sergey Gavrilov on Wednesday," executive secretary of the deputy group Oleg Yefimov told Interfax-Religion.

The leader of the Mashriq party told Gavrilov with reference to sources in Turkey that representatives of radical North Caucasian groupings jointly with Al-Qaeda participated in the kidnapping of Syrian hierarchs, he said.

Meanwhile, a source referred to a statement made by Dagestani native and participant of the terrorist grouping Magomed Abdurakhmanov, who personally confirmed his participation in the kidnapping of the hierarchs.

"The source said that Abdurakhmanov showed a video in which the kidnapped metropolitans were filmed and also reaffirmed that they were executed," the source said.

The inter-faction deputy group intended to urgently turn to the Turkish authorities for confirmation of the detention of Abdurakhmanov and the information he produced about the assassination of the Christian leaders kidnapped in 2013.

Libyan parliament confirms murder of 21 kidnapped Coptic Egyptians by Terrorist group.

As i said the moment i saw the Coptic tattoos in the picture i understood they were already dead.

Libyan parliament confirms murder of 21 kidnapped Coptic Egyptians by Terrorist group.(DailyNewsEgypt).

Libyan parliament confirmed Saturday the death of 21 kidnapped Egyptian Coptic Christian workers in Libya following photos released by an English publication affiliated with the ‘Islamic State’, called Dabeq, claiming their execution.

The Libyan legislative body said that the workers were killed by the self-proclaimed ‘Islamic State’ group, often referred to as ISIS, in the city of Sirte, according to state newspaper Al-Ahram.

The Egyptian government has asserted it “will spare no effort for the kidnapped”, but has not confirmed the execution of 21 kidnapped Egyptian Coptic workers in Libya by ‘Islamic State’.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb met with the families of kidnapped workers on Friday. The meeting came following ‘Islamic State’ published photographs of 21 abducted Copts in Libya in red execution suits, guarded by ‘Islamic State’ personnel in black clothes and swords.

20 Coptic Christian Egyptians were kidnapped at the beginning of the year in the city of Sirte on the north coast of Libya. A jihadi website circulated photos in mid-January of kidnapped Christians, also allegedly released by ‘Islamic State’ in Libya.

The Egyptian presidency stated Thursday, following the execution allegations, that it would follow up on the incident.

Mehleb told the victims’ families the government is maintaining intensive communications to clarify the situation of the kidnapped Egyptians. He added that all governmental ministries and agencies are on alert, and permanently convene, and are exerting maximum efforts.

“The government renews its commitment to spare no efforts to protect its sons and defend their rights, despite hardships and dangerous complications in Libya,” he added.

The first photos published in January, attributed to the ‘Islamic State’ in Tripoli, described the kidnapped as “captive crusaders”.

It is widely accepted that the kidnapping occurred due to their faith, whilst comments from the US Secretary of State’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “It is more about Libya than it is about Egypt. This happened, reportedly, in Libya.”

She added that the kidnapping incident “underscores the need for the international community to continue to strongly support the efforts of the United Nations. And it really, again, reminds us of how volatile the situation is there on the ground”.

Egypt’s Copts Coalition issued a statement Friday calling on President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and the foreign ministry to implement the state’s protective role for its citizens abroad. The coalition also called on the two parties to communicate with the captors for the safety of the kidnapped.

Fady Youssef, the coalition’s coordinator, told Daily News Egypt that “ISIS threatening to behead the kidnapped Egyptians is a result of the Salafis inciting against Christians in Egypt”.

He referred to two cases, which have seen wide protests staged by Salafis and radical Islamists calling for freedom of two women allegedly “kidnapped” by the Church. These include Kamilia Shehata, a wife of a Coptic preacher who allegedly converted to Islam but was hidden afterwards by the Coptic Church. He also referred to Wafaa Constantine, also a Christian who allegedly converted to Islam, and was then taken to a solitary residence in one of the church’s monasteries.

The latest photos allegedly released by ‘Islamic State’ of the kidnapped Egyptians were attached with a sentence that says “Revenge for the Muslimat [Muslim women] persecuted by the Coptic crusaders of Egypt”.

Related: Islamic State Claims To Have Abducted 21 Coptic Egyptians In Libya

#Libya TT @loayomran According to Dabegh magazine published by #Daish, 21 Coptic Egyptian laborers executed in Sirte pic.twitter.com/KodtS50G1g

— Borzou Daragahi (@borzou) February 12, 2015

Islamic State Claims To Have Abducted 21 Coptic Egyptians In Libya

Islamic State Claims To Have Abducted 21 Coptic Egyptians In Libya. (EgyptianStreets).
More here from AlArabiya.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry is investigating the authenticity of pictures purportedly showing the Egyptian abductees in Libya, the Ministry Spokesman Badr Abdel Atty said on Thursday.

Twenty-one Coptic Egyptians were abducted in the Libyan city of Sirte on two separate occasions, only one week apart. Seven were kidnapped on December 31, 2014, while the remaining 14 were captured on January 3.

The fact that they used Coptic tattoos in this pic makes me fear they are already dead.

Pictures allegedly belonging to the abductees went viral on social media websites after they were published by a magazine affiliated with the Islamic State fighters. Those featured in the pictures were clad in orange, a colour usually signalling the captives’ death sentence by the group.

Late on Thursday, Egypt commenced emergency procedures to evacuate all Egyptian nationals wishing to return from Libya, reported state television.

Islamic State fighters have gained control of large areas of Iraq and Syria over the past summer.

Unidentified assailants killed a Coptic Egyptian doctor and his wife in Sirte and kidnapped their daughter on December 23. The body of abducted teenage daughter was later found.

The foreign ministry constantly reiterates its warning to all Egyptians residing in Libya, calling on them to avoid any conflict areas. It also keeps renewing its travel alert to the neighbouring country, urging those travelling to Libya to secure a visa from the Libyan embassy prior to their travel. Hmmm......meanwhile Soon it will be TWO YEARS (April) that two Christian Bishops disappeared Nobody seems to care about them except some blogger here and there.

Pope Appeals for Syrian Bishops' Release - Kidnappers perhaps Chechen fighters

Two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria held captive by ISIL since April 2013, in 'good health'.

Two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria held captive by ISIL since April 2013, in 'good health'.(SBN).

The Two Orthodox bishopsYuhanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazici kidnapped in Syria in April 2013 are currently in the northern city of Raqqa and held captive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

According to a report published in al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday, the two bishops are “in good health” and are currently detained in the region of Tal Abyad, which is located in north of Raqqa governorate, near the Turkish border.

The two bishops, Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji, were kidnapped at the end of April, reportedly near the rebel-held town of Kafr Dael, near Aleppo in northern Syria.

The al-Qaida-affiliated Asbat al-Ansar is allegedly the group behind the abduction of the two bishops. The newspaper said that Asbat al-Ansar, which was loyal to al-Nusra Front, became discreetly loyal to ISIL.

The kidnappers reportedly didn't realize the fuss that the abduction operation would create, prompting them to ask ISIL leadership for assistance.

The ISIL group then was handed over the two bishops and moved them to al-Raqqa. No group has officially claimed responsibility for their kidnap, but sources close to the Greek Orthodox Church and the Syrian authorities have claimed the kidnappers were "Chechen jihadists".

Christians constitute some five percent of Syria's population, a patchwork of religious and ethnic groups. Rights groups say Christians are especially vulnerable in the chaos that has engulfed Syria ever since the outbreak of a conflict in March 2011, which has so far killed some 90,000 people.


Related:  

Turkey's Role in the Kidnapping of the Syrian Bishops