LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Quotation for today/Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
Matthew11/25-30: " At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Report: Israel Establishes Underwater Defense Barrier to Avert Hizbullah Attacks
Naharnet/Israel reportedly erected a defensive barrier and sonar array off the Ras al-Naqoura border area, in south Lebanon, to prevent Hizbullah divers from infiltrating northern Israel. Media reports said Israel has obtained information that Hizbullah is investing a large sum of money to acquire undersea weapons and delivery systems to carry out attacks against the Jewish state. A similar barrier has been deployed off the Gaza Strip. In 2006, Hizbullah fought the Jewish State's far more advanced forces and rained more than 4,000 rockets on northern Israel. But Israel killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Hizbullah killed 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers within Lebanese territory.

U.N. Lauds Mustaqbal-Hizbullah Talks, Hopes for End to Presidency Void
Naharnet/The United Nations on Monday welcomed the much-anticipated dialogue that kicked off last week between al-Mustaqbal movement and Hizbullah, hoping it will contribute to ending the protracting presidential vacuum. “I welcomed the initiatives under way with respect to dialogue between political parties in Lebanon, including the dialogue meeting held last week between al-Mustaqbal movement and Hizbullah under the auspices of the speaker of the parliament,” U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly said after meeting Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail. “Clearly dialogue is important for unity and stability in these difficult times. We very much hope that these steps will contribute to resolving outstanding issues, and in the first place the vacancy in the presidency,” Plumbly added. In a joint statement issued by Hizbullah and Mustaqbal, the two parties had noted that their dialogue is not aimed at “forming a new political alignment.” They also said they are not seeking to “pressure any political force regarding the constitutional junctures (presidential vote) There are five topics on the dialogue's agenda – defusing sectarian tensions, the anti-terror fight, the presidential vote, activating the work of institutions, and finding a new electoral law. The next dialogue session is scheduled to be held in early January.
Separately, the U.N. official paid tribute to Lebanon’s security forces, particularly the army, for “all the efforts and sacrifices they have made to safeguard the country in the face of grave challenges this year.” He also welcomed “the progress made in securing international support for the Lebanese army,” describing it as a “core concern” for the United Nations. As for the Syrian refugee crisis, Plumbly thanked Salam for “his role in finalizing and launching with the U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan earlier this month.” “We discussed what steps need to be taken to help ensure an appropriate and sufficient international response to the plan,” he added. The plan calls for an estimated $2.1 billion to help the country cope with the fallout from the conflict in neighboring Syria, while outlining the priorities of the government and international community over the next two years. It aims to deliver humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees while also expanding plans to invest in services and institutions in the most affected areas. It also hopes to reach some 2.9 million people, half of them Lebanese.

Gemayel Hopes Aoun-Geagea Talks Would Salvage the Republic
Naharnet /Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel welcomed the expected talks between Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun and Samir Geagea, the head of the Lebanese Forces. “We encourage dialogue between all (party) leaderships to salvage the Republic,” Gemayel told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in remarks published on Monday. He hoped the dialogue between Aoun and Geagea would lead to positive results. Gemayel also expressed hope that the talks between them would focus on “saving the constitutional institutions, which have reached a state of decay.” He stated that he had no information or details about the expected talks but that he encourages efforts to preserve the interest of the nation. Reports have said that Melhem Riachi, chairman of the LF communication department, and MP Ibrahim Kanaan from Aoun's Change and Reform bloc are holding meetings away from the media spotlight to prepare the agenda for the dialogue between the FPM chief and Geagea. Kanaan told As Safir daily on Monday that the talks could create a basis for a joint mission. “We cannot disagree on constitutional issues linked to partnership and (the division of) power,” he said. Highly-informed sources also said that consultations on the agenda are reaching a breakthrough with the presidential crisis as a first item. Both Aoun and Geagea have announced their candidacies for the presidency. Their differences, in addition to the rivalry between the March 8 and 14 alliances, have left the presidential post vacant. President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May.

Lebanese Army Opens Fire in Air to Disperse Protesters in Arsal's Wadi Hmeid
Naharnet/The army opened fire in the air on Monday to disperse protesters near Arsal's Wadi Hmeid crossing, demonstrating against the measures in the area.The state-run National News Agency reported that Lebanese and Syrian nationals held a sit-in near Wadi Hmeid crossing to protest the army's upped security measures along the outskirts of Arsal. NNA said that a spat occurred between the protesters and the army, prompting troops to open fire in the air to disperse them. Military sources told LBCI that some 150 protesters from Arsal intentionally quarreled with the troops despite facilitating their movement to their jobs. Five people were wounded in the dispute and the army detained five others, LBCI reported. On Sunday, some 200 Arsal residents protested the army's measures in Arsal, however, the military clarified in a communique that its new, strict measures on the roads leading to the outskirts of the town aim at protecting the villagers. Ever since the Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011, Arsal has served as a key conduit for refugees, rebels and wounded people fleeing strife-torn Syria. It was overran in August by gunmen belonging to the two al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who withdrew from the town by taking several soldiers and policemen hostage. Four have been so far executed.

Salam: No celebration in absence of soldiers
The Daily Star/Dec. 29, 2014 /BEIRUT: Lebanon’s real feast and celebration will come when its captive servicemen return home safely and a president is elected, Prime Minister Tammam Salam told Grand Serail employees during an end of the year reception Monday. After expressing his appreciation of the performance of Serail employees, Salam said: “On the new year, we will not celebrate and we will not feel happy until the servicemen are liberated and returned to their families proud and heads high.”“We hope to achieve happy results that would relieve their families and all the Lebanese people, making it a real feast,” Salam said. He reiterated calls to elect a new head of state, pinning hope on the recently launched dialogue between rivals Hezbollah and the Future Movement to achieve a breakthrough in the presidential impasse.
Describing the Hezbollah-Future dialogue as “a great political development,” Salam said communication between the two main political powers in the country could usher in solutions to many problems, including the presidential vacuum. Ahead of the reception, Salam received U.S. Ambassador David Hale, visiting Iraqi Vice President Iyad Allawi and special U.N. representative in Lebanon Derek Plumbly, who underscored the necessity of dialogue for securing Lebanon’s stability.

Families pledge discretion, calm over hostage-crisis negotiations
The Daily Star/Dec. 29, 2014
BEIRUT: The families of the captive soldiers and policemen announced Monday that they had promised Prime Minister Tammam Salam to commit to discretion and calm concerning the negotiations for their sons’ release. “We promised him to not discuss any [information] in public,” a spokesperson for the families said in reference to Salam. “We are not heading to any escalation [of our movement,] and we have entrusted the Cabinet with resolving the matter.” The comments came after a delegation from the families met with the Marada Movement chief MP Sleiman Frangieh, who was quoted as expressing full solidarity with the families and their cause. The spokesperson said Frangieh supported any solution to the crisis, including a swap deal with Islamist prisoners and detainees.At least 25 Army soldiers and policemen remain in captivity in the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal since last August, when the Army clashes with militants from ISIS and the Nusra Front in the town. The number of captives was initially at least 37, but the Nusra Front has released eight and executed two, while ISIS executed another two hostages. Lebanon’s government is negotiating a swap deal with ISIS through the mediation of Arsal’s Deputy Mayor Ahmad Fliti. There is a communication channel open with the Nusra Front, but through informal mediators, according to Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi.

Arsal residents, Army clash over security measure
The Daily Star/Dec. 29, 2014
BEIRUT: A man was severely wounded when he and other Arsal residents briefly clashed with the Lebanese Army in the outskirts of the town Monday over new security measures set to go into effect. Two other people were also injured in the incident, as the Army dispersed a protest over the decision to require special permits for anyone crossing into the northeastern border town's outskirts. The protesters held their demonstration near an Army outpost in Wadi Hmeid, where troops fired shots in the air to disperse them, a security source told The Daily Star. One of the bullets hit a young protester, who was moved to hospital and is in critical condition, the source said. Many other protesters were also arrested over physical assault of Army troops and a lack of cooperation with the military’s commands. In a televised interview later Monday, Arsal Mayor Ali Hujeiri vowed that there would be no future clashes between the Lebanese Army and area residents. In that pursuit, the mayor called on the Army to facilitate the passage of Arsal residents, most of whom work outside the northeastern border town. Hujeiri blamed the clashes on an unidentified group of people who are “attempting to cause problems in Arsal by burning tires and sparking clashes,” he said. The mayor's comments were made after residents briefly blocked the road between the neighboring village of Labweh and Arsal Monday morning. The clash came despite assurances from the military Sunday that the decision would not target those with legitimate interests in visiting the area. Residents are already angry over the closure of one access road leading to the town’s outskirts, which has hampered the movement of workers and owners of stone quarries in the area, significantly increasing traffic jams on the outskirts’ entrance. Stone quarries are considered a major source of income for the northeastern town, guaranteeing the livelihood of more than half Arsal's residents, local sources estimate. The Army announced Sunday that the measure, which is aimed at controlling movement in and out of Arsal’s outskirts, where Syrian jihadi militants holding Lebanese servicemen are holed up, would take effect in 2015. Arsal was previously invaded by jihadis, who clashed with Army units and abducted more than 30 soldiers and policemen before withdrawing to the outskirts. The militants now hold 25 servicemen in total, distributed between ISIS and the Nusra Front.

Iran's Khamenei tweets about Jesus during festive season
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya News
Monday, 29 December 2014
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took advantage of the festive Christmas season to renew his criticism of America and Israel with tweets referencing Jesus Christ. “Today, arrogants claim to follow #Jesus but they took the place of tyrants against whom Jesus spent his life to fight. #KillerIsrael,” read a statement from Khamenei's English-language Twitter feed on Dec. 27. The 75-year-old Ayatollah has used the word “arrogant” to describe the United States and its leaders on previous occasions.

Jürgen Todenhöfer Lives
Diana Moukalled
Monday, 29 Dec, 2014
What could have possibly motivated a 74-year-old German author, researcher and former politician to knock on the door of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and confer and negotiate with the group for months so he could visit them in their strongholds to report to the world on their activities—and return alive to tell the tale? It is not surprising his family broke down in tears on his return from his 10-day assignment, which he spent with the group in the territories currently under its control in Iraq and Syria. What he had to say upon his return confirmed what we already know about the group’s evils; but it is also much more: it is an account detailing what he saw from the inside. Was it his advanced age and the satisfaction with a life already lived to the full that allowed him to take the grave risk to bring us back this information—as important as it is? Or was it simply that irrepressible human drive which some of us are unable to ignore no matter how far we are in our years or what we have already achieved in life?
Yes, Jürgen Todenhöfer truly surprised us.
Despite the great temptation the group must have felt to abduct and kill another Western journalist, in the end, Jürgen Todenhöfer came back alive. Some of what he has to tell he has so far released over his Facebook account and in comments to journalists—as for the rest, he is preparing a new book. It took him months of work and Skype meetings with members of ISIS to prepare for the trip. His entire family was, naturally, against his decision. But Todenhöfer had the courage of his convictions and listened only to his inner voice. For this former politician and legal researcher is already a veteran when it comes to the subject of the relationship between the Muslim world and the West, with a number of books to his name on this issue that has obviously obsessed him for years.
He had previously been away from public life; but it was the events of 9/11 that stirred him to action once again, and he has made countless trips to the Middle East since then, and opposed US foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Todenhöfer says he was fully aware of the dangers his trip posed him, that his criticism of the US and its actions in the region were no guarantee he would keep his head. After all, the Western journalists who have been killed by ISIS also cared about the Middle East, and had done much to help the Syrian and Iraqi people; but that did not save them in the end.
Since his return, Todenhöfer has not shied away from warning us that the danger posed by ISIS is even greater than the West believes, and that the group’s abilities and strategic nous cannot be dismissed.
We may understand, then, why someone with Todenhöfer’s background may want to travel to report on ISIS, but what is the group’s own motivation here? Todenhöfer has said the group is as good as anyone when it comes to publicity, so perhaps this is the very answer we are looking for.
But a question remains: what is it exactly that ISIS wants to say to the world? Does it wish us to recognize and accept its authority over the areas it controls? Does it want legitimacy? Of course, we cannot give it that.
We must now wait and see how the group’s latest high-profile prisoner—the Jordanian fighter pilot it captured—will fare as negotiations for his release begin. Will he be able to return to his family with similar stories to tell as Todenhöfer’s? If he comes back alive, his account, and Todenhöfer’s, must be broadcast to help us better investigate and understand this group.

After the U.S. pullout, will the Afghan Taliban make its move?
Monday, 29 December 2014
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard /Al Arabiya
The U.S.’s combat mission in Afghanistan has come to an end three days earlier than the previously scheduled date of January 1, 2015.
On Sunday December 28, the force’s mandate to tackle the Taliban insurgency officially ends and the country will be left with almost 350,000 trained and capable – it is claimed - national police officers and military personnel.
In addition, 10,000 American troops will remain in Afghanistan for training and backup support. All remaining troops will leave by the end of 2015, no matter the situation and by the end of Obama’s presidency.
Cheerful Americans welcomed President Obama’s decision to withdraw the US troops from Afghanistan. The 13-year war, which cost $1 trillion according to the Financial Times, took more than 2000 American soldiers’ lives.
Bad news
However, for many Afghan citizens the pullout is bad news – their country is still in a state of emergency and the Taliban is still active.
The insurgency and the terrorist activities increased with the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, making this year a bloody one for the country. According to the United Nations, Afghan civilians casualties are reported to be above 10,000.
It’s interesting that Afghans, it seems, do not view the foreign presence as an occupation or a humiliation. For Afghans, it is hard to accept going back to the same conditions as when they lived under Taliban rule.
Being so worried about the future, Afghan local newspapers and social media was full to the brim with fears and anxieties about the pullout. Afghans didn’t start the battle with the Taliban to be asked to end this battle themselves, as Obama is asking them to do now.
“Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the armed forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country,” he said in Hawaii.
How will they rebuild their country? With what recourses? Economic growth is paltry and dependence on foreign aid is high. It remains to be seen if the Afghan government will even be able to pay its civil servants without U.S. aid.
Political squabbling
Some 18,000 foreign troops— around 10,600 of them American — are staying in Afghanistan under the terms of two security pacts the Afghan government signed with the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in September. In a country which is marred by political squabbling and the inability to form a functioning cabinet, people are questioning the security forces’ ability to defend them.
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan is due to visit Washington, D.C in January in his first trip to the United Sates since becoming the president. Asking for heavy weapons and machinery for Afghan troops is at the top of his priority list to discuss with President Obama.
The evidence is showing President Obama’s main focus from now on seems to be diplomacy rather than fighting and engaging American troops anywhere. Maybe drones would be another backup solution for the Afghans who are seeking American air defense support in the fight with Taliban. January will be a telling month for the Taliban and Afghans to see who has the upper hand. While the world is in a celebration mood for the New Year, a different mood reigns in Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan. The fear of being forgotten. People don’t know what is next.

Iran holds funeral for senior commander killed in Iraq
The Associated Press, Tehran
Monday, 29 December 2014
Iran held a funeral on Monday for a senior Revolutionary Guard commander who was killed during a battle against the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq.
State TV said the funeral for Brig. Gen. Hamid Taqavi was held in a Guard compound in Tehran. He will be buried in his hometown Ahvaz in southwestern Iran on Tuesday.
The Guard said Sunday that Taqavi was "martyred while performing his advisory mission" in Samarra, a town north of Baghdad that is home to a major Shiite shrine. He is the highest ranking Iranian officer known to have been killed abroad since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, in which he fought.
Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told mourners at the funeral that Taqavi had died defending Iran from extremists, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
"Some ask, what is the link between Taqavi and Samarra? The answer is very clear. If Taqavi and his colleagues do not give blood in Samarra, we should give blood" in Iran, he said.
Shamkhani said Taqavi was a veteran Guard member who had close contacts with the Iraqi armed opposition when the country was ruled by Saddam Hussein.
Predominantly Shiite Iran says it has sent military advisers to assist Syria and Iraq in battling Sunni-led rebels and extremist groups, but has denied sending combat forces.
Iran says it has played a key role in pushing back the Islamic State group following the extremists' summer blitz, in which they captured much of northern and western Iraq. But Tehran insists its officers are only providing military advice and training.
Further violence
In a separate incident, "armed bandits" killed three Guard members in an ambush Sunday near Iran's southeastern border with Pakistan, state TV reported. In the past Iranian forces have clashed with Sunni rebels and smugglers along the porous frontier. In October, four Iranian border guards were killed near the border by unidentified gunmen.
Meanwhile in Iraq, officials said a suicide attack on a funeral north of Baghdad killed at least eight mourners.
A police officer said the suicide bomber blew himself up Monday inside a funeral tent in an agricultural area outside the mainly Sunni town of Taji. Another 20 mourners were wounded.
Two medical officials confirmed the casualty figures from the attack. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release the information.
No one has claimed responsibility for attack, but it bore the hallmarks of the ISIS group, which frequently targets Sunnis allied with the Shiite-led government.

After the U.S. pullout, will the Afghan Taliban make its move?
Monday, 29 December 2014
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard /Al Arabiya
The U.S.’s combat mission in Afghanistan has come to an end three days earlier than the previously scheduled date of January 1, 2015.
On Sunday December 28, the force’s mandate to tackle the Taliban insurgency officially ends and the country will be left with almost 350,000 trained and capable – it is claimed - national police officers and military personnel. In addition, 10,000 American troops will remain in Afghanistan for training and backup support. All remaining troops will leave by the end of 2015, no matter the situation and by the end of Obama’s presidency. Cheerful Americans welcomed President Obama’s decision to withdraw the US troops from Afghanistan. The 13-year war, which cost $1 trillion according to the Financial Times, took more than 2000 American soldiers’ lives.
Bad news
However, for many Afghan citizens the pullout is bad news – their country is still in a state of emergency and the Taliban is still active. The insurgency and the terrorist activities increased with the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, making this year a bloody one for the country. According to the United Nations, Afghan civilians casualties are reported to be above 10,000. It’s interesting that Afghans, it seems, do not view the foreign presence as an occupation or a humiliation. For Afghans, it is hard to accept going back to the same conditions as when they lived under Taliban rule. Being so worried about the future, Afghan local newspapers and social media was full to the brim with fears and anxieties about the pullout. Afghans didn’t start the battle with the Taliban to be asked to end this battle themselves, as Obama is asking them to do now. “Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the armed forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country,” he said in Hawaii. How will they rebuild their country? With what recourses? Economic growth is paltry and dependence on foreign aid is high. It remains to be seen if the Afghan government will even be able to pay its civil servants without U.S. aid.
Political squabbling
Some 18,000 foreign troops— around 10,600 of them American — are staying in Afghanistan under the terms of two security pacts the Afghan government signed with the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in September. In a country which is marred by political squabbling and the inability to form a functioning cabinet, people are questioning the security forces’ ability to defend them.
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan is due to visit Washington, D.C in January in his first trip to the United Sates since becoming the president. Asking for heavy weapons and machinery for Afghan troops is at the top of his priority list to discuss with President Obama.
The evidence is showing President Obama’s main focus from now on seems to be diplomacy rather than fighting and engaging American troops anywhere. Maybe drones would be another backup solution for the Afghans who are seeking American air defense support in the fight with Taliban. January will be a telling month for the Taliban and Afghans to see who has the upper hand. While the world is in a celebration mood for the New Year, a different mood reigns in Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan. The fear of being forgotten. People don’t know what is next.

Obama: Iran has 'chance to get right with the world'
Dec. 29, 2014 /Daily Star
WASHINGTON: Iran could become a "very successful regional power" if Tehran agrees to a long-term deal to curb its nuclear program, Barack Obama said in an interview with NPR News, however the US president criticized the Islamic Republic for supporting Hezbollah. "They've got a chance to get right with the world," Obama said in the interview, which was taped at the White House on Dec. 18 and is set to air this week. More than a year ago, Iran agreed to an interim plan to halt higher-level uranium enrichment in exchange for a limited easing in financial sanctions pending negotiations on a long-term deal. Those talks have now been extended to next June. Iran has said its nuclear program is for peaceful energy use, but the United States and five other powers want to make sure that Tehran cannot quickly develop nuclear weapons. Obama told NPR that Iran should seize the chance of a deal that could lift crippling sanctions. "Because if they do, there's incredible talent and resources and sophistication inside of Iran and it would be a very successful regional power that was also abiding by international norms and international rules - and that would be good for everybody," he said. Obama insisted a nuclear deal was possible, although Vice President Joe Biden earlier this month said he thought there was a "less than even shot" of an agreement. Obama said he recognized that Iran has "legitimate defense concerns" after it "suffered from a terrible war with Iraq" in the 1980s. But he criticized Tehran for its "adventurism, the support of organizations like Hezbollah, the threats they've directed at Israel."
Asked whether he would use his last two years in office to help rebuild war-torn countries, Obama said it was up to countries like Libya, Syria and Iraq to take the lead. "We can help, but we can't do it for them," Obama said. "I think the American people recognize that. There are times here in Washington where pundits don't; they think you can just move chess pieces around the table. "And whenever we have that kind of hubris, we tend to get burned," he said. Obama rejected the idea of "devoting another trillion dollars" to sending U.S. combat troops to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq. "We need to spend a trillion dollars rebuilding our schools, our roads, our basic science and research here in the United States," he said. Obama said he hoped to be able to work with Congress on shared economic goals. But he said he expected Republicans would pass some bills he will oppose, particularly on health care and the environment. "I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office," Obama said. "Now I suspect there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that pen out."

Egyptian Coptic Christian Family Slain by Islamic Extremists in Libya
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2014/12/29/egyptian-coptic-christian-family-slain-by-islamic-extremists-in-libya/
By: Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East
with ICC's Egypt Representative
12/29/2014 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) - Last week, Magdy Sobhy Tawfiq, Sahar Talaat Rizk, and their 13-year-old daughter Catherine were brutally murdered in Sirte, Libya, where the family has lived since 2001. Magdy was a medical doctor working in the Jarf Health Center in Sirte and Sahar was a pharmacist.
Magdy and Sahar were murdered in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 23 at the doctor's housing complex where the Coptic Christian family lived with Catherine (13) and two younger daughters (Age 10 and Age 9). Catherine was taken from the family's home and her body was found in the desert outside the city on Thursday, December 25.
Militant Threats and Attempts to Leave
The young couple moved to Libya in 2001, just shortly after they were married on July 20, 2000. Magdy worked for two years at a Diabetes Clinic in Sirte before transferring to the Jarf Health Center, Tamer Talaat Rizk, Sahar's brother told International Christian Concern.
"I stayed with them for 2 years in Sirte before I returned back to Egypt," Tamer told ICC. "During my stay with them there I noticed that Doctor Magdy was serving all the people there and he was beloved from the all. For free he would help explain difficult lectures to students who were studying in the faculty of Medicine in Site. He was a very kind and respected man," Tamer recalled.
The family had been attempting for months to find a way to leave the country, but had been delayed in getting the necessary paperwork.
Magdy felt the family was in danger but the management of his work didn't give him his passport his contract was not yet finished. "He also asked the Libyan authorities and representative of the Egyptian foreign ministry in Misrata, Libya to protect him and help him to return back to Egypt," Tamer told ICC. "But the officials told him, 'Sorry we can not do any thing for you.' And they advised him not to leave Libya these days because all the ways to travel are unsafe and his life and his family's lives will be endangered if they travel by his private car," Tamer said.
"On Monday, December 22, at 6:30 pm, Sahar called my mother and told her that they are working to finish the paperwork needed to travel to Egypt and they will leave soon, because their lives became unsafe in Libya," Michael Talaat Rizk, another of Sahar's brothers, told ICC.
The family was growing increasingly concerned for their safety "especially after their oldest daughter Catherine was threatened with death if she did not wear a veil," Michael said. "Some Islamic Militants belonging to the Ansar Al-Sharia extremist group demanded that Catherine not go out from her home without wearing the veil and threatened her that they are going to kill her if she did not wear a veil," he continued.
A Violent Attack at Dawn
"At 4:00 am on Tuesday, December 23, Doctor Magdy woke up to the knock on the door of the housing building," Samir Sobhy Tawfiq, Magdy's brother told ICC. "He likely thought that there was a patient with an urgent case and was in need his help, but after opening the door, he found some armed masked men, they attacked him and handcuffed him, put him into a chair," he continued.
Samir, a doctor in Tanta, Egypt, was told the details of the incident by his brother Maged who works in Tripoli, Libya and traveled to Sirte to care for the two youngest daughters who were eyewitnesses to the incident and met with officials following the initial investigation.
Sahar pleaded with the men to take the family's money (6,000 Libyan dinar or $4,500 USD) and jewelry and leave them alive, but money was not the reason they had come. Sahar then ran into the room to protect the three girls, Samir told ICC.
"They then entered the children's room and shot and killed Sahar there. Then they abducted Catherine, leaving the other two children behind. They also dragged Magdy outside and shot and killed him in front of the door of the Health Unit. They put Catherine into their car and fled," Samir recounted to ICC.
Magdy was found still handcuffed after he'd been shot and killed.
Magdy Sobhy Tawfiq killed in Sirte, Libya December 23, 2014
The attack was clearly not a robbery and was likely motivated by religion, localcouncil chairman Yussef Tebeiqa said.
"Money left on the table and the wife's jewelry left at the crime scene were not touched," he added in a statement quoted by AFP.
Catherine was found in the Libyan Desert on Thursday, December 25, Samir told ICC. "She was shot three times, twice in the head and once in the chest," he said.
Mourning and Reaction to the Attack
"The motive of killing them was sectarian," Michael, Sahar's brother said. "Those Militants targeted them because they are Christians, they killed them because of their faith in The Lord Jesus Christ"
Michael continued, "My sister, her husband, and their daughter Catherine were martyred on the Name of Jesus Christ and that is the only thing that comforts us. We are sure that they are in the heaven now because they kept the faith and didn't deny the Lord Jesus Christ."This latest incident again highlights the increasing across Libya, and often times Christians have faced explicit targeting from militant Islamist groups, as ICC has documented throughout 2014.
The same day as this attack, the United Nations issued a report documenting the human rights abuses and volatile security situation in Libya. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya issued a statement condemning the attacks.
"These heinous murders, apparently committed for religious motives by unidentified gunmen, are totally rejected by the Libyan people and are alien to their tradition of tolerance towards religious minorities and hospitality extended to foreign guests," the Mission said in a statement issued Wednesday, December 24.
Coptic Solidarity, a U.S.-based advocacy group said, "The victims were killed simply because of their religious identity, which constitutes a crime against humanity."
Fady Youssef, founder of Coalition of Coptic Egypt, also condemned the attacks and called for the Egyptian government to take decisive action to protect Egyptians in Libya in an interview with ICC.
"I condemn the brutal crime of killing the Coptic family in Libya, and I charge the responsibility of killing these family on the Egyptian Government. I accuse the Egyptian Government of passiveness, inaction, indifference and disregard for the rights of Egyptians abroad, particularly in Libya," Youssef said.
Tamer, Sahar's brother, also urged for government officials to apprehend those responsible, but also was encouraged by his faith.
"I urge the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to demand the Libyan authorities to quickly investigate into this brutal crime and arrest the killers quickly and bring them to the justice," he said. "But I ask God to bring the rights of the Martyrs. I trust Him, He is a just God," Tamer concluded.
Magad, Magdy's brother has finalized the paperwork necessary to return the bodies to Egypt, Samir told ICC. "We await their arrival on Tuesday, December 30, and the prayer service for them will be held in the Mar Girgis church, Abu Naga, Tanta."
As Libya, continues to be torn apart by militant Islamist groups fighting, it is not just about claims of power, but also imposing their religious ideology and driving out or killing those who do not conform to their dictates.