Egyptian sailors who had been captured by Libyan authorities for entering the country's waters returned to Cairo Wednesday after their 40-day detention.
They returned on a private jet from Djerba, Tunisia, along with hundreds of Egyptians fleeing unrest in Libya.
The 16 sailors said they left Rashid port on 27 February to sail in the Mediterranean when the Libyan Coast Guard arrested them and confiscated their boat.
They were then ordered to spend 20 days in prison. However, Tripoli's deteriorating security situation forced the authorities to release them and send them back to Egypt.
The sailors said they had official travel documents.
In November, Libya's Coast Guard shot and wounded an Egyptian and detained ten others for sailing in its waters. In August, it detained and fined 14 Egyptian sailors for entering illegally.
