Defection: Libyan pilots ordered to bomb protesters
2011-02-21 21:26
Valletta - The pilots of two Libyan fighter jets who landed in Malta on Monday said they had defected after they were ordered to bomb protesters in Benghazi, Maltese military and official sources told AFP.
The two men told Maltese military officers on the ground that they were senior colonels in the Libyan air force and one of them requested asylum, as they were getting out of their single-seater Mirage F1 jets.
"One of the pilots requested political asylum," a government spokesperson said.
"The two pilots are being held by police for further investigations," the Maltese government said in a statement.
Malta is the closest European state to Libya, located just 340km north of Libyan shores.
Two French-registered Super Puma civilian helicopters also landed on the Mediterranean island around the same time, carrying seven passengers who said they were French nationals working on oil rigs near Benghazi.
The markings on the two helicopters were for Heli Union - a company specialising in air transport for oil and gas companies.
The helicopters were given permission to land in Malta but had not been given clearance to leave Libya, indicating they had escaped, the sources said.
The people from the two helicopters are also being held pending an inquiry.