The Presidential Council on Monday held an expanded security meeting to discuss the killing of a group of illegal immigrants in Sabratha, west of Tripoli.

The meeting grouped PC members, the army's chief, the interior minister, the head of the intelligence service, the commander of the land forces, the head of the internal security apparatus, and the head of the anti-illegal immigration authority, besides mayors and chiefs of the security directors of Sabratha, Zawiya, Surman, and Zuwara.

Last Friday, rescue workers in Sabratha recovered 15 bodies belonging to migrants found on the city's shores. The victims were reportedly killed after a dispute between two groups of human traffickers.

"The Presidential Council reiterates the need to reveal the circumstances of this heinous crime as soon as possible, and to identify the perpetrators and refer them to the competent authorities," a statement by the PC said on Monday.

According to the PC media office, the meeting reviewed means to combat transnational organized crime and seal the maritime borders in front of illegal immigration.

The officials also stressed the importance for the security services to tighten the grip in areas considered hubs for illegal migration and form a committee to investigate and follow up on this file.

The death of the migrants in Sabratha drew widespread condemnation and demands for the prosecution of the perpetrators.