ISIS Captors Allegedly Take Ransom but Execute 20-Year-Old Christian After He Refused To Deny Jesus

The family of 20-year-old Egyptian Christian Milad Malak says it paid a $4,700 (about £3,500 or €4,190) ransom for his release in Libya, but he was killed after refusing to renounce his faith.

Open Doors and International Christian Concern have attributed his abduction to Islamic State (ISIS) militants, citing accounts from two released captives. The group's responsibility, and the date and circumstances of Malak's death, have not been independently verified.

Malak travelled to Libya on 2 September with two Muslim friends from his home village in Egypt's Gharbia governorate. They reached Zliten after a day-long journey and stayed with other Egyptian workers. International Christian Concern said they were kidnapped on 4 October.

Family Says Ransom Failed to Secure His Release

His sister, Madonna Malek, told Worthy News the family was in contact with him on 4 October. On 6 October, relatives received a message from him saying he had been kidnapped and tortured. The kidnappers demanded $4,700 (about £3,500 or €4,190), she said.

Malek said the family transferred the money, but her brother was not released. The families of his two Muslim companions each paid the same amount, securing their release. International Christian Concern reported on 6 November that both men had returned to Egypt and were receiving medical treatment.

Open Doors said the released men told the organisation that the kidnappers discovered Malak was the only Christian among the detainees. They reportedly subjected him to days of pressure, torture and threats, demanding that he abandon Christianity and convert to Islam.

According to his sister, Malak refused. She told Worthy News that he said: 'Even if you were to hack me to pieces, I would never renounce my faith.' His sister relayed the statement, which was not independently recorded.

His companions later informed relatives, and his mother, Maryam Fawzi, appealed to Egyptian authorities for help recovering his remains. The body was eventually returned, and funeral prayers were held on 28 October at the Church of the Archangel Michael in his home village.

A family friend told Worthy News that Malak had been 'faithful to Christ till his last breath'. The report identified the source as an evangelical church worker who requested anonymity over security concerns.

Milad Malak Case Recalls Earlier ISIS Killings in Libya

Worthy News reported that Egyptian website Safha1 blamed an Islamic State-affiliated cell for the kidnapping and killing. The outlet said it could not independently verify the allegation. It also reported that ISIS had not claimed responsibility as of 2 November.

The case recalls the February 2015 killing of 21 Christian migrant workers in Libya. ISIS militants beheaded 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and one Ghanaian man on a beach near Sirte, then released footage.

The Coptic Orthodox Church recognised the 21 men as martyrs in February 2015. Pope Francis announced in May 2023 that they would be included in the Roman Martyrology. Egypt launched airstrikes against ISIS targets in Libya on 16 February 2015, a day after the killings.

Open Doors ranked Libya ninth on its 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. The organisation identifies Islamist militants and criminal networks as threats, including kidnapping, trafficking and abuse of foreign Christian migrants.

Libya has remained unstable since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Rival authorities and armed groups emerged during renewed conflict in 2014.