Isis claim of beheading Egyptian Copts in Libya shows group’s spread

Egyptians call for more action earlier this month over the kidnapping of Coptic Christians in Libya. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El GhanyANY/Reuters

Video apparently showing murder of 21 people comes as extremist jihadis gain support as violence grows following overthrow of Gaddafi in 2011

The latest video horror apparently released by the Islamic State (Isis) shows the mass beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya and underlines the alarming spread of the jihadi group far from the familiar killing fields of Syria and Iraq.

The gruesome film – the victims again kneeling in orange jumpsuits – confirms what had been signalled a few days ago by Isis propagandists. The language directed at these Arab Christians is as hateful and sectarian as that employed against Shia Muslims and the western journalists and aid workers whose murder by Isis has so far attracted most attention internationally.

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via Syria | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1CxvKPL