In Libya, Islamist militants have taken 20 Egyptian Christians hostage.

In Libya, Islamist militants have taken 20 Egyptian Christians hostage.

Witnesses say the armed attack occurred in the city of Sirte, which is located in the north of the country, 600 km east of Tripoli.

Gunmen broke into an apartment building and demanded documents from people to separate Muslims from Christians. 20 people were taken captive from the community of Coptic Christians, they were handcuffed and taken away, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the Associated Press.

According to preliminary data, the abduction was made by extremists of "Ansar al-Sharia". In November the UN Security Council put this group on the list of terrorist organizations. Earlier, "Ansar al-Sharia" had already been listed as a terrorist organization on the lists of the United States and Libya.