A Libyan man who suffered grievous injuries during an argument with two fellow nationals on Saturday was charged over the incident soon after his discharge from intensive care.

Wadea Al Maghrbi, 25, who currently resides in Floriana, pleaded not guilty to attempted grievous bodily harm, slightly injuring Zouhir Elfezqa, threatening him, being in possession of a knife and breaching the conditions of a conditional discharge.

On Sunday Mr Elfezqa was charged with attempting to murder Mr Al Maghrbi. Another man, 21-year-old Mohammed Abdul Hafid Abukem, who is a friend of Mr Al Maghrbi's, was charged with attempting to inflict grievous injuries to Mr Elfezqa, slightly injuring him.

The court heard how Mr Al Maghrbi and Mr Abukem went to a Swieqi apartment to spend the night. A fight broke out when the two groups discovered each other's political allegiances. The accused and his friend are supporters of the Ghaddafi regime.

Mr Al Maghrbi was stabbed in the leg and had an artery severed. He was taken to the ITU where he was, for a time, in danger of dying. He was interrogated today shortly after being discharged from hospital and was arraigned in front of Magistrate Joe Mifsud this afternoon. The accused, who was brought to court on a wheelchair, looked dazed and out of breath. Defence lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran said his client was in pain and asked if he could be sent to hospital after the sitting.

Inspector Elton Taliana, prosecuting with Inspector James Grech, said doctors had discharged the Libyan and there was no reason for him to remain in hospital. Mr Taliana claimed that the accused and his friend were actually the aggressors and had gone to the house armed with a knife. He said bail should be denied at least until the primary eyewitness was summoned to testify. Inspector Grech said friends of the accused had already spoken to the witness.

Dr Caruana Curran said the accused was denying all charges and was the one who had ended up in the ITU. He said he had gone to Swieqi to sleep, not to fight.

Magistrate Mifsud said conditional discharges were an opportunity for the accused not to repeat their behaviour. "The court cannot permit foreigners to import their country's conflicts to Malta. Our country does well to offer protection but it is not on for some foreigners to act this way and throw a bad light over genuine refugees. We have a rule of law here, not the law of the jungle."

Dr Caruana Curran said prison was the worst place to send someone who had just been discharged from the ITU, seeing that inmates had become sick with swine flu.

Bail was denied but the Magistrate recommended that the accused be seen to by a doctor and provided with the necessary medical care.