Libya has arrested four foreigners in the major city of Benghazi on suspicion of proselytizing and distributing Christian literature.

The four suspects from South Africa, Egypt, South Korea and the other one with both a Swedish and American nationality were accused of printing and distributing bible pamphlets in the city, Libyan police spokesman Hussein bin Hamid said on Saturday.

All the detained foreigners received assistance from their embassies and were in possession of 45,000 books at the time of the arrest. Moreover, They had already distributed 25,000 more books among the Libyans, the police said.


The four are currently under police custody and are scheduled to appear in court next week, according to local reports.

The report came as Libyans are preparing to celebrate the second anniversary of their uprising that led to the downfall of former dictator Muammar Ghaddafi.

Libyans rose up against Gaddafi’s four-decade rule in February 2011 and deposed him in August 2011.

The deposed Libyan ruler died of injuries sustained during his capture on October 20, 2011, by the National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters in the northern city of Sirte, his hometown.