A Maltese worker has been abducted by Libyan rebel militias, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed.
Martin Galea, who works for oil and gas company Nageco was abducted by rebel militia while he was on his way to work, on the outskirts of Tripoli on 17 July. The news of his kidnapping was made public today.
Galea, 42, is a retired captain of the Armed Forces. He was on his way to work in a car driven by a Libyan national. The car was stopped at a road block and Galea was taken away. No news has been received about him and a search for him has so far proven futile, sources told The Malta Independent.
The government has so far not issued any statement on the case but the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Police were informed about the case last week. A Ministry spokesperson said the case is being "followed up" but could not divulge any details on the case. It is not yet clear if the Maltese authorities have managed to contact the alleged kidnappers.
Man abducted, government insisting situation is not serious - PN
In a statement, the Nationalist Party expressed its concern over the abduction of the man and noted that the government is still insisting that the situation in Libya is not serious.
Foreign Minister George Vella told journalists last week that there is no need for an evacuation but since then a Maltese man has been kidnapped and is still being held by his captors.
The PN said it is a known fact that this evening’s parliamentary debate will only happen thanks to a motion presented by PN MP Carm Mifsud Bonnici. PN Leader Simon Busuttil will speak about the situation in Libya during this evening’s debate.
Family devastated, desperate for information, sources say
Sources close to the family of Mr Galea said that the family is devastated and are desperate for information on Mr Galea.
Government insists it has a 'Plan B'
Meanwhile, an OPM official told this newsroom that an emergency inter-ministerial committee has been meeting regularly for the past two weeks. The committee is setting up a contingency plan for the eventuality of a full-scale evacuation. The Armed Forces, Police, Civil Protection Department and Health Authorities are involved in these talks. Government officials are monitoring the situation in Libya on a 24/7 basis.
The spokesperson said that the plans are still being drawn up seeing that the situation in Libya is very fluid and any plans would have to be drawn up accoring to the varying circumstances. “We might need to evacuate 5,000 people or 10,000. It would all depend on what would be happening at the time.”
Sources have however noted that the government seems to be confirming that it is not using the the contingency plans drafted in 2011, during the Libyan civil war, which were praised by many countries.
The OPM spokesperson also said that, until yesterday, 27 Maltese had booked a flight on this evening’s flight from Mitiga, which will be operated by Medavia and is organised by the government. “Until a few days ago there were 147 Maltese in Libya but most of them chose not to leave the country.
In other developments, an area close to the Police Academy in Ta’ Kandja has been cleared out in what is being described as preparations for the eventuality of a mass evacuation of foreign nationals to Malta.
The situation in Libya has deteriorated over the past few days as rival militias are battling it out over control of Tripoli’s main airport, which was heavily damaged in the fighting.
Virtu Ferries has been keeping a vessel on stand-by for the eventuality of a mass evacuation from Tripoli.
The Libyan Embassy this morning failed to answer questions by The Malta Independent on the situation in Libya.