2015 Kidnapping And Beheading Of Copts In Libya on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
15 Feb 2015 In the moments before the beheadings (3'25" to 3'32" of the video) an edited audio clip records a number of them crying out "''Ya Rabb Yesua!''" and the caption reads: (), suggesting that they had been given a chance to convert to Islam but refused it: For this reason, the Coptic Church proclaimed them martyrs. During the beheading of the captives (3'32" to 3'40" of the video), a part of an IS a cappella chant, "'' Qariba..Qariba''" was playing in the background of the video, with an edited audio clip of the captives yelling in agony. After beheading the captives (3'40" to 4'15" of the video), the a cappella chant continued to play and a message appears on the screen: ()Raman Media network: "ISIS Video Shows Mass Beheading of Christian Hostages" by Rakash Raman
16 February 2015 This was referencing Camelia Shehata, a Coptic Egyptian woman and wife of a Coptic priest, who Islamists believe had converted to Islam and was detained by the Coptic Church because of it; she later denied the claim. In the final part of the video (4'15" to 5'01" of the video), the speaker declares; "''and we will conquer Rome, by Allah's permission, the promise of our Prophet, peace be upon him,''" pointing his knife toward the sea, while the captives' blood pooled into the Mediterranean coast. The Coptic Church, the Egyptian government, and the Libyan parliament confirmed the deaths. Later, when one of the perpetrators of the operation was arrested, he admitted in the investigation that the slaughter had taken place at the beach opposite Al Mahary Hotel in
The 21
', has been produced by a team of more than 70 artists from 24+ countries to honor the 21 martyrs and will debut for a global audience on February 15, 2025 - the 10th anniversary of their death. ''The 21, the Power of Faith: the Village of Martyrs'', a French documentary by Samuel Armnius was broadcast on KTO and screened at the Vatican Film Library on 15 February 2024.
On 21 February 2015, seven days after their death,
Updated list of the names of the new martrys of Libya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libya Copts beheadings 21st-century Christian martyrs Coptic Orthodox saints Egyptian Roman Catholic saints Christian martyrs executed by decapitation Christian saints killed by Muslims Coptic history Groups of Christian martyrs of the Late Modern era ISIL terrorist incidents in Libya Mass murder in 2015 People beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Persecution of Copts by ISIL Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2015 21st-century mass murder in Libya Victims of Islamic terrorism 2015 murders in Libya 21st-century venerated Christians History of Sirte Killing of captives by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant February 2015 in Libya February 2015 crimes in Africa
On 12 February 2015, the
''] and on Dabiq, Syria, Dabiq's Plain, Beheading in Islamism#Scriptural justification, chopping off the heads that had been carrying the cross delusion for a long time, filled with spite against Islam and Muslims, and today we're on the south of Rome, on the land of Islam, Libya, sending another message: Oh crusaders, safety for you will be only wishes. Especially when you're fighting us all together, therefore, we will fight you all together, until the war lays down its burdens and Jesus, peace be upon him, will descend, breaking the cross, killing the swine, and abolishing Jizya, and the sea you've hidden Sheikh Islamic State
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
(IS) released a report in their online magazine '' Dabiq'' showing photos of 21 Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
construction workers—twenty from Egypt and one from Ghana—that they had kidnapped in the city of Sirte
Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...
, Libya, and who they reported had been killed. The men, who came from different villages in Egypt, 13 of them from Al-Our, Minya Governorate
Minya ( ') is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. Its capital city, Minya, is located on the left bank of the Nile River.
Etymology
The name originates from the chief city of the governorate, originally known in Sahidic Coptic as ''Tmoone ...
, were kidnapped in Sirte in two separate attacks on 27 December 2014, and in January 2015. On 15 February, a video was released showing their murder by beheading.
This was not the first time that Coptic 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, which showed the murder of about 30 Ethiopian Christians.
The victims, all but one members of the Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...
, were formally declared martyrs and saints in February 2015 by Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria
Pope Tawadros II (born 4 November 1952 ) is the 118th and current Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, succeeding the late Pope Shenouda III as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He took office on 18 Nov ...
. In 2023, Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
announced that the 21 Christian men murdered by IS would also be commemorated by the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and listed within the ''Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...
'' in what was described as a major ecumenical decision. The martyrs are commemorated on 15 February (civil calendar) in both Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...
s. A film titled '' The 21'' was released in 2024 to commemorate them.
Video
On 15 February 2015, a five-minute video was published by Al-Hayat, an IS multi-language media wing, showing the beheading of the captives on a beach along the southernMediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
coast. A caption in the video called the captives the "People of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian Church". In the video, the leader was dressed in camouflage, while the other terrorists were dressed in black. The victims were all dressed in orange jumpsuits, as in many previous IS videos. The group of killers identified itself in the video as the Tripoli Province of IS. The leader declared in English:
All praises due to Allah, the strong and mighty, and may blessings and peace be upon the one sent by the sword, as a mercy to all the worlds 'Muhammad''">Muhammad.html" ;"title="'Muhammad">'Muhammad'' Oh people, recently you've seen us on the hills of Al-Sham [''Syria (region)">Greater Syria Syria, ( or ''Shaam'') also known as Greater Syria or Syria-Palestine, is a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. The region boundaries have changed throughout history. Howe ...
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
's body in, we swear to Allah, we will mix it with your blood.Ahram Online: "Video shows beheading of Copts at IS hands; Egypt declares week of mourning"15 Feb 2015 In the moments before the beheadings (3'25" to 3'32" of the video) an edited audio clip records a number of them crying out "''Ya Rabb Yesua!''" and the caption reads: (), suggesting that they had been given a chance to convert to Islam but refused it: For this reason, the Coptic Church proclaimed them martyrs. During the beheading of the captives (3'32" to 3'40" of the video), a part of an IS a cappella chant, "'' Qariba..Qariba''" was playing in the background of the video, with an edited audio clip of the captives yelling in agony. After beheading the captives (3'40" to 4'15" of the video), the a cappella chant continued to play and a message appears on the screen: ()Raman Media network: "ISIS Video Shows Mass Beheading of Christian Hostages" by Rakash Raman
16 February 2015 This was referencing Camelia Shehata, a Coptic Egyptian woman and wife of a Coptic priest, who Islamists believe had converted to Islam and was detained by the Coptic Church because of it; she later denied the claim. In the final part of the video (4'15" to 5'01" of the video), the speaker declares; "''and we will conquer Rome, by Allah's permission, the promise of our Prophet, peace be upon him,''" pointing his knife toward the sea, while the captives' blood pooled into the Mediterranean coast. The Coptic Church, the Egyptian government, and the Libyan parliament confirmed the deaths. Later, when one of the perpetrators of the operation was arrested, he admitted in the investigation that the slaughter had taken place at the beach opposite Al Mahary Hotel in
Sirte
Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...
.
Aftermath
The president of EgyptAbdel Fattah el-Sisi
Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014.
After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 201 ...
announced a seven-day period of national mourning and called for an urgent meeting with the country's top security body. In a televised address, el-Sisi declared his country reserved the right to retaliate. He also reiterated an offer to facilitate Egyptians' evacuation from Libya and imposed a travel ban on citizens to Libya. Officials from Al-Azhar, a prominent mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
and learning center in Egypt, also condemned the incident. The killings were also addressed particularly by the United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
, French President François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
. Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
telephoned Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences. At an ecumenical meeting with the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...
, Pope Francis stated "They only said 'Jesus help me...' The blood of our Christian brothers is testimony that cries out. Be they Catholic, Orthodox, Copts
Copts (; ) are a Christians, Christian ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptians, Egyptian population, des ...
, Lutherans
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
, it doesn't matter: They're Christian!" The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary provided €500 of financial support for each of the victims' families. Péter Szijjártó
Péter Szijjártó (; born 30 October 1978) is a Hungarian politician who has been Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hungary), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade since 2014. He previously served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ...
said "Hungary cannot be a bystander of the continuous attacks against Christian communities in the Middle East." The Obama administration was criticized for referring to the victims simply as ''Egyptian citizens'' rather than Christians, the express reason for their murder.
At dawn on 16 February, the Egyptian military conducted airstrikes on IS facilities in Libya. The airstrikes targeted IS training locations and weapons stockpiles. All military aircraft returned safely to base. The Libyan Air Force also conducted strikes in Derna, occupied by an IS affiliate since 2014. No militants were killed and 7 civilians were reportedly killed.
The lives of the martyrs have been detailed in a book by Martin Mosebach called ''The 21A Journey into the Land of Coptic Martyrs.'' An independent short film, The 21
', has been produced by a team of more than 70 artists from 24+ countries to honor the 21 martyrs and will debut for a global audience on February 15, 2025 - the 10th anniversary of their death. ''The 21, the Power of Faith: the Village of Martyrs'', a French documentary by Samuel Armnius was broadcast on KTO and screened at the Vatican Film Library on 15 February 2024.
Veneration
On 21 February 2015, seven days after their death, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria
Pope Tawadros II (born 4 November 1952 ) is the 118th and current Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, succeeding the late Pope Shenouda III as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He took office on 18 Nov ...
canonized
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...
the 21 Coptic martyrs as saints. On 11 May 2023, Pope Francis met with Pope Tawadros II during general audiences to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Coptic Orthodox-Catholic agreement at Saint Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian Renaissance architecture, Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the cit ...
in Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. In his speech, Francis announced that he intends to add the 21 martyrs to the ''Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...
''. He said "these martyrs were baptized not only in water and the Spirit, but also in blood, with a blood that is a seed of unity for all followers of Christ. I am pleased to announce today that, with Your Holiness' consent, these 21 martyrs will be included in the Roman Martyrology as a sign of the spiritual communion uniting our two Churches".
During the audience, Tawadros II gave Francis relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s with a small statue of the 21 martyrs and an egg-shaped Coptic icon of the Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...
. Upon receiving the relics, Francis said "I will try to make an altar in one of our basilicas in honor of the martyrs."
On 15 February 2024, an ecumenical prayer service was held at the Choir Chapel of Saint Peter's Basilica to celebrate the first commemoration of the 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya in the Catholic Church. Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
Kurt Koch
Kurt Koch (born 15 March 1950) is a Swiss prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been a cardinal since November 2010 and president of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity since 1 July 2010. He was the bishop of Basel from 1996 until ...
, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided at the service and preached the homily. The relics of the martyrs, given to Pope Francis by Pope Tawdros II, were placed on the altar for veneration. Afterwards, the documentary, ''The 21: The Power of Faith'', was screened at the Vatican Film Library.
They are venerated
Veneration (; ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Veneration of saints is practiced, ...
as saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
s and martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
s both in the Oriental Orthodox Church
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...
and the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, and their feast day is celebrated every year on 15 February of the Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
. The commemoration falls on the feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
The Presentation of Jesus is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, or the "Feast of the Presentation of Jes ...
which is 8 Amshir of the Coptic calendar
The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is a liturgical calendar used by the farming populace in Egypt and used by the Coptic Orthodox and Coptic Catholic churches. It was used for fiscal purposes in Egypt until the adoptio ...
; however, during a leap year, 8 Amshir corresponds with 16 February.
21st martyr
After the beheadings, the Coptic Church released the martyrs' names, but there were only 20 names. In the video, the 21st victim was ofBlack African
Black is a racial classification of people, usually a Politics, political and Human skin color, skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and ofte ...
descent, in contrast to the others, who were ethnic Copts
Copts (; ) are a Christians, Christian ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptians, Egyptian population, des ...
. It was later learned that the 21st victim was named Matthew Ayariga and that he was from Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. It is most likely that he was already a Christian, because sources reported that he said "I am a Christian and I am like them". In October 2020, Christian News Now reported that "Ayariga was a Christian migrant worker from Ghana". In the book ''The 21: A Journey into the Land of Coptic Martyrs'', Martin Mosebach, who traveled to Egypt to meet the families of the martyrs, also states that Ayariga said "I am a Christian". However, according to some unnamed sources, he was not originally a Christian, but saw the immense faith of the others, and when the terrorists asked him if he rejected Jesus he reportedly said, "Their God is my God", knowing that he would be killed for saying this. Ayariga's conversion has been compared to the conversion of Saint Aglaius, one of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste.
When the remains of the 21 bodies were found, the bodies of the 20 Egyptians were returned into Egypt. On September 29, 2020, Ayariga's remains were received in Egypt by the new church in Al Our, the Church of the Martyrs of Faith and Homeland, a shrine built in honor of the martyrs. The family members of the other martyrs "expressed their joy at the return of the remains of the martyr atthew Ayariga, saying "Our joy is complete." Majid Shehata, a daughter of one of the martyrs, said, "It was a surprise to all of us that we see the remains of the martyr Matthew inside the Church of the Martyrs, and this is a long-awaited news and all the families are in great joy and we thank God for having responded to us in the return of the martyr."
Return of the remains
After the expulsion of the IS fighters from Sirte, government authorities announced they had found the place where the bodies of the martyrs were buried. This was done after the government authorities and the Libyan army arrested one of the terrorists who was present during the slaughter. The Libyan Attorney General ordered cooperation with the Egyptian authorities to sendDNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
samples from the families of the martyrs to be compared with DNA samples from the remains.
Later, it was ascertained that the remains belonged to the martyrs after comparing the families' DNA samples sent by the Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority with the DNA samples taken from the remains by the Libyan Forensic Medicine Commission.
On 15 May 2018, the remains of the 20 Egyptians were returned to the Church of Martyrs of the Faith and Homeland, which was built for and named after them in Martyrs' Village (formerly Al-Aour, Al-Awar, or Al-Our; ), Minya governorate
Minya ( ') is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. Its capital city, Minya, is located on the left bank of the Nile River.
Etymology
The name originates from the chief city of the governorate, originally known in Sahidic Coptic as ''Tmoone ...
. A special shrine was built in which the remains were laid so that people can visit them. Churches and monasteries' bells were rung all over Egypt when the remains arrived at Cairo International Airport from Misrata Airport in Libya; celebrations of the return of the remains to their homeland. They were received by Pope Tawadros II, a large number of priests, Ambassador Nabila Makram, the Egyptian minister of immigration and Egyptians affairs abroad, and other state officials at the airport. A Mass
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
was held, presided over by Bishop of Samalut Anba Baphnotius.
One year later, on 25 July 2019, the Coptic Church officially requested the Libyan Embassy in Cairo ship Ayariga's body to Egypt. Anba Pavnotios dispatched an official delegation to meet Chargé d'affaires
A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...
of the Libyan Embassy, Fawzy al-Mabrouk Tantoush.
The delegation included the priests of the Cathedral of the Martyrs of the Faith and Homeland in Al-Our, Friars Marcos Atef and Epiphanius Yunan, Nevine Ragy, General Manager of Schools and Projects of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Samalut, and Nader Shukry, Member of the board on the Church of the Martyrs of the Faith and Homeland, and coordinator of crisis management for the martyrs' families. The Libyan Embassy's social attaché
In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...
Hussein Al-Bashir Shafsha also attended the meeting.
The Egyptian delegation handed Tantoush a letter from Anba Pavnotios requesting that the body of Ayariga be brought to Egypt "to be joined with his Coptic brothers in their final resting place". The Metropolitan said the Church would give all the necessary legal pledges and guarantees to honour the rights of all parties should his country ask to have him back.
In 2019, the Libyan government agreed to transfer Ayariga's body to Egypt. His remains were transferred to Egypt and laid to rest with the other martyrs at the end of September 2020.
Names of the martyrs
Source:See also
* '' The 21'' * Persecution of Copts * Copts in Libya *List of Catholic saints
This is an incomplete list of humans and angels whom the Catholic Church has Canonization, canonized as saints. According to Catholic theology, all saints enjoy the beatific vision. Many of the saints listed here are found in the General Roman C ...
* List of venerated persons from Africa
* List of Coptic saints
* Islamic State beheading incidents
*Christian martyr
In Christianity, a martyr is a person who was killed for their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In the years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, or ...
* New Martyr
Notes
References
External links
Updated list of the names of the new martrys of Libya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libya Copts beheadings 21st-century Christian martyrs Coptic Orthodox saints Egyptian Roman Catholic saints Christian martyrs executed by decapitation Christian saints killed by Muslims Coptic history Groups of Christian martyrs of the Late Modern era ISIL terrorist incidents in Libya Mass murder in 2015 People beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Persecution of Copts by ISIL Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2015 21st-century mass murder in Libya Victims of Islamic terrorism 2015 murders in Libya 21st-century venerated Christians History of Sirte Killing of captives by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant February 2015 in Libya February 2015 crimes in Africa