The United States condemns the heinous and cowardly murder of twenty-one Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL-affiliated terrorists on Sunday, February 15, 2015 referring to it as “wanton killing of innocents.”
According to the video, the location of the killing is in “Wilayat Tarabulus by the Mediterranean Sea,” near Tripoli were the Egyptians, dressed in orange jump suits, were beheaded after being forced down on the ground on a beach.
According to Flashpoint Intelligence, a global security firm and NBC News consultant, the video called “A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross” which appeared on ISIS Twitter page was released by the group’s Al-Hayat Media Center.
“This undeniably means that the group now views Christian populations as not only targets but also part of the bigger ‘Crusader plot,’ not separate from the US-led coalition or aggressors,” a Flashpoint report said. “The group’s message is highly intimidating and it somewhat challenges the Western nations to intervene and save the Christians as it intervened to save the Yazidis and others.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. statement came a few hours after Egypt’s official state news agency had confirmed the killings. “This heinous act once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya, the continuation of which only benefits terrorist groups, including ISIL,” it said.
