Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that a Canadian citizen has been taken hostage in Libya.
In a statement to CTV News on Sunday, Global Affairs spokesperson Michael O’Shaughnessy said the Canadian government is “currently pursuing all appropriate channels to obtain more information.”
According to unconfirmed reports published on Sept. 19, local government officials in Ghat, Libya said that three foreign engineers working for an Italian construction company were abducted by unidentified assailants.
According to reports, the three foreign workers were held at gunpoint last Monday on a highway that links Ghat and Ubari, Libya.
Italy’s foreign minister has previously said that two of the abducted workers are Italian.
According to a statement by Ghat Mayor Koumani Mohammed Saleh, the abduction was carried out by a small outlawed group and not al Qaeda. The statement also said that the abduction is “unprecedented” as the city is controlled by the Tripoli-based government of national unity.
