Canada confirmed on Sunday it has become aware of a citizen taken hostage in Libya and is "diligently pursuing all appropriate channels to obtain more information." Libyan authorities said last week a Canadian and two Italians had been kidnapped in the country's southwestern desert, possibly by a criminal gang. The Canadian government then called the matter "unconfirmed." On Sunday, Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign department, called the kidnapping "troubling," but declined to provide more details. Numerous criminal and armed groups are active in Libya's vast southern desert, and al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants have long had a presence across the border between Libya and Algeria.

Source: CBC News September 25, 2016 14:25 UTC