Thirty-seven Egyptians have been released from Libyan prisons, Egypt’s acting ambassador to Libya told state-run TV on Sunday, amid reports of rebel gains in Tripoli.
The ambassador did not provide further details.
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi have held hundreds of Egyptians since February, when a popular revolution broke out aiming to end Qadhafi's 42-year rule.
The Egyptian detainees were falsely charged with aiding anti-Qadhafi rebel forces. Later Egyptian diplomatic efforts managed to secure the release of a number of them.
Thousands of Egyptians fled the turmoil in Libya to Tunisia and Egypt.
On Saturday, Qadhafi's spokesperson, Moussa Ibrahim, claimed in statement that Egyptian, Algerian and Tunisian mercenaries were among rebels arrested by Qadhafi's forces in Tripoli.
On Sunday, rebels stormed the Libyan capital, Qadhafi’s last stronghold. Press reports quoted rebel sources as saying they had arrested Qadhafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, making the end of Qadhafi’s rule more imminent.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
