The Armed Forces of Malta was on high alert on both Thursday and Friday in response to a possible terror threat against Malta, The Malta Independent has learnt.

Reports in the Italian media today indicate also that Malta, together with Italy and Spain, could be the target of missiles launched from north African countries by the Islamic State.

Last Friday, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela denied that there was such a situation, saying there was no cause for alarm.

But fresh information obtained by this newspaper goes contrary to this denial.

On Thursday and Friday, army personnel who were on leave were recalled from their vacation, while others were stopped from taking leave.

Added to this, army personnel were given an abnormal amount of ammunition, much more than they are given in normal circumstances. This only happens when the alert state is upped to higher levels, sources told The Malta Independent.

Soldiers were given more magazines of ammunition than they normally have, and their orders were to be more on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour.

When he denied the alarm, the minister may not have been fully informed of the situation or else wanted to play down the issue so as not to cause any panic, the sources said.

The high alert at the end of last week came just two days after the Maltese-owned Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli was attacked.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said that Malta had not been the target of the terrorists, but in the days that followed, information received led the army to raise its alert.

Italian media are reporting that ISIS intend to launch missiles from north African states into Europe, with the main targets being Italy, Spain and Malta as they are the closest to Africa. A map has also been reproduced showing how the attacks are intended to take place.

The reports say that a copy of propaganda published by the Islamic State “in broken English” indicates that should the Islamic State be defeated, a plan would unfold for missiles to be launched over the sea from north Africa to Europe.

The report says that although the range of the missiles presently in hand is not enough for them to reach continental Europe, islands to the south of Italy and under Italy’s jurisdiction like Pantelleria could be reached. It adds however that there could be other missiles with a longer range that could be obtained.

The Italian media reported that although such threats have been made for propaganda purposes, they should not be taken lightly.