Libyan official: Egyptian detainees to be deported

TRIPOLI, Libya -- A Libyan security official said 50 Egyptians, who were arrested in Benghazi last week for allegedly spreading Christianity, are being charged with illegally entering and working in the country and will be deported.

A video circulated last week on social networking sites purportedly showing a group of Christian Egyptians with shaved heads and a bearded young man in a military jacket who said nearly 100 Coptic Egyptians were being held for allegedly spreading Christianity. The video showed Bibles and Christian books next to the detainees.

The Libyan security official, speaking Saturday on condition of anonymity according to rules, said the detainees would soon be deported.

The Egyptian government says Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr Kamel resolved the issue over the detainees Saturday with his Libyan counterpart.