Seven Egyptians were found shot dead near Benghazi in eastern Libya on Monday, a security services spokesman for the restive city said.

Seven Egyptians were found shot dead near Benghazi in eastern Libya on Monday, a security services spokesman for the restive city said.

"The bodies of seven Egyptians were found in Jalluta, east of Benghazi," Ibrahim al-Sharaa told AFP.

The spokesman was unable to confirm rumors that the Egyptians were Christians, who have often been targeted on charges of proselytizing in the Muslim country.

State news agency LANA said the bodies were identified by Egyptian residents of Benghazi.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians work in Libya, mostly as laborers.

In January, gunmen kidnapped five Egyptian diplomats in Tripoli and held them for several hours.