Libyan and Egyptian officials say some of the six Egyptian diplomats and embassy staff members kidnapped in the capital Tripoli have been released and the rest are to follow soon. Both officials offered no details on the late Sunday release. Five Egyptian diplomats and an embassy staff member were kidnapped late Friday and early Saturday. It was not clear who abducted them.Libyan Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Al Asswad says two of the diplomats and the embassy staffer have already been freed. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelattie confirms that some were released, attributing it to official and "unofficial" mediation. He did not elaborate.
The kidnapping followed the arrest of a senior Libyan militia leader in Egypt. Abdelattie says the two incidents were unrelated, adding that the militia leader was under investigation, without elaborating.