Putin expresses condolences to Egyptian president over massacre of Egyptian citizens committed by Islamic State terrorists in Libya

MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended condolences to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over the massacre of Egyptian citizens committed by Islamic State gunmen in Libya, the Kremlin press service said on Monday. "The Russian head of state resolutely condemned this heinous crime and expressed confidence that its committers and contractors would be found and duly punished," the press service said. Putin once again reiterated that Russia was ready for closest cooperation with Egypt in fighting against all manifestations of terrorist threats, the press service noted. The problem of expanding terrorist activities of the Islamic State was in the focus at Putin’s meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council earlier on Monday. "The Russian Security Council members strongly condemned another barbaric murder of Egyptian Christians committed by Islamic State terrorists in Libya," Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman said. "The meeting participants expressed deep condolences to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as well as to the Egyptian people represented by him," he added. "The meeting participants said the continued expansion of the geography of terrorist acts staged by the Islamic State and Islamic extremism in general causes particular concern," Peskov said. On Sunday evening, Islamic State gunmen made public a video showing the execution of 21 Egyptians, all Coptic Christians coming from the city of Samalut in the Minya province south of Cairo. They were captured by the extremists in Libya at the end of last year from the coastal town of Sirte in eastern Libya, now under the control of Islamist groups, and since then their fate had been unknown. Read more