Fajr Libya brigades released the 13 Egyptians who have been held for 45 days in Libya after being arrested over illegal immigration, according to residents of Sheikh Massoud village, Minya.
Essam Zaki Fadl, mayor of the village, said nine villagers were among the detained and were released after the group received their passports to check their identities. He denied that the terrorist Islamic State group has links to the detention.
Last week, the residents said they received phone calls from their sons working in Libya who told them they were kidnapped by unknown people and that a ransom of 15,000 Libyan dinars was asked per abducted person
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Badr Abdel Aaty told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministry is still in communication with authorities in question and Libyan tribesmen to swiftly free anyone detained illegally in Libya.
In related news, Ahmed Nassar, head of the sailors association in Kafr al-Sheikh, said a fisherman from Borg Megheizal village called Waleed Arafa, 32, disappeared in the Libyan city of Misrata 20 days ago, adding that he was likely kidnapped.
In other news, 74 persons of different nationalities were arrested on Friday in Beheira province during an illegal immigration attempt to Italy. The arrested included 11 Egyptians, 17 Sudanese nationals, 39 Syrians and seven Ethiopians.
Marsa Matrouh security services arrested 22 persons while infiltrating Libya via the desert. They were referred to prosecution.
Major General Al-Anany Hammouda, the province security service, said Salloum land exit received on Friday 147 Egyptians coming from Libya, including 122 persons who accessed Libya illegally. He added that number of returnees via the border since February 16 reached 41,944.
Italian authorities declared on Friday rescuing 3,600 illegal immigrants while being on crowded boats sailing from Africa to Europe over the past two days.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
