ISIS executes four in Libya ‘in warning to others’

ISIS has executed four people in the central Libyan city of Sirte, including at least one member of a rival group whose body was put on display, according to residents and a video published on social media on Monday.

A video released by the militant group showed a gunmen shooting a man, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, who was tied to a makeshift cross. His body was left there afterward as a warning to others.

The man was identified as an alleged spy for Libya Dawn, an armed group backing a non-recognized government in Tripoli, which has flown air strikes against ISIS in Sirte.

The video's authenticity could not be verified by Reuters.

Sirte residents, asking not to be named, said ISIS had executed a total of four people, which all had been wearing orange jumpsuits. They had no information on their identity.

Sirte is a stronghold of ISIS, which has gained a foothold in Libya by exploiting a security vacuum as two rival governments are battling for control four years after the ousting of former leader Muammar Qaddafi.

The executions come after Islamic State fighters crushed a revolt by a Salafist Muslim group and armed residents in Sirte earlier this month, trying to break its grip on the city, located some 500 km (310 miles) to the east of Tripoli.

ISIS has been trying to retake the eastern city of Derna from where another rival group evicted the group with the help of residents in June. But armed residents repulsed another assault on Sunday, residents said. There was no fighting on Monday.

Libya's official government has been based in the east since losing the capital a year ago to Libya Dawn, which set up its own government. Neither administration controls much territory.