Egypt confirms killing of 21 Christians in Libya by IS

Men in orange jumpsuits purported to be Egyptian Christians held captive by the Islamic State (IS) are marched along a beach said to be near Tripoli, in this still image from an undated video made available on social media on February 15, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - The Egyptian Orthodox Church confirmed late on Sunday the killing of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped by Islamic State (IS) militant group in Libya, state-run MENA news agency reported.

"We watched the painful video. We can confirm the slain were our kidnapped sons in Libya," spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, Polis Halim, was quoted by MENA as saying.

The spokesman said the Church is in contact with a number of government institutions to follow up the situation.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has called for an urgent meeting of the National Defense Council.

He also declared a seven-day period of mourning over the death of the victims.

On Sunday, the IS militant group published a video purportedly showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians abducted in Libya.