The Virgin Mary Church in Samalout held Tuesday a memorial service for the 20 Copts who were murdered last year in Libya at the hands of the Islamic State group in Libya.
The Coptic Egyptians, who had traveled to Libya in search of work, had been kidnapped in January 15; a video showing their execution near the Libyan city of Sirte was released Feb. 14, 2015. Cairo responded the next day with airstrikes targeting Islamic State strongholds in Libya.