“On July 19, four Italian specialists who are employees at Bonatti company have been kidnapped in Libya nearby Mellitah complex”, the construction firm said.
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The foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni told Italian media on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers that it was hard to speculate about who was responsible for the abduction at this stage.
The ministry said a crisis unit is “in constant contact with the families and the company Bonatti” which employs the four.
They were abducted near a compound owned by Italian oil and gas group Eni in the western Mellitah area, the ministry said.
“As you know, following the closure of the Embassy of Italy in Libya on February 15, the foreign ministry had reported the extremely hard situation in the country and called on all compatriots to leave Libya”, the ministerial statement said. It’s not clear when they were kidnapped.
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After being plunged into chaos following the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has two governments conflicting over power as well as armed groups fighting for control of the country’s oil wealth.
