About 70 Egyptian citizens were kidnapped in a series of separate incidents in Tripoli by armed men who disguised themselves by donning Libyan military uniforms, the Egyptian foreign ministry said Friday, Al Arabiya reported.
The foreign ministry did not explain why they were kidnaped but said efforts are currently underway to release the abductees and guarantee their safety.
The Egyptians were kidnapped in an-Zarah, Salah al-Din and Friday market areas in Tripoli, and were taken to the anti-crime center in al-Hadhabeh, the ministry said.
This is not the first time Egyptians have been targeted in Libya.
In February, Egypt expressed shock when seven Egyptian Christians were found shot dead on a beach in eastern Libya.
Four staff in the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli were also briefly kidnapped January, a day after one Egyptian diplomat was seized.
The five Egyptian embassy staffers were kidnapped in retaliation for Egypt's arrest of a Libyan militia chief. On Sunday, they were released as part of a swap.