A Maltese man - Carmel Grech - reported yesterday to be under arrest in Libya is possibly being held by a militia in view of his former involvement in the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi, the  local representative of the Tripoli administration in Malta said today.

Charge d'Affairs Hussin Musrati said that a criminal gang could also be holding the businessman for ransom.

The man disappeared on August 13 in the eastern part of the country. 

Carmel Grech

Mr Musrati said the Tripoli administration had made contact with the Tobruk government which had denied it was responsible for the arrest.

However he insisted that the man never applied for a visa through his office to travel to Libya. 

He said the man was a ship's captain who had been involved in ferrying medical aid and doctors across Libya during the uprising. 

It was strange, he said that the Maltese man would have travelled to Tobruk because of the dangers. People travelling to that part of the country would normally have somebody to greet them, he said.  

Mr Musrati said four Italian nationals were currently being held in the Eastern part of the country - controlled by the Tobruk government, and he feared this was part of a kidnapping racket.

Tripoli and Tobruk have rival governments, the former controlling the western part of the country and the latter the east. The Tobruk government is recognised internationally. However vast tracts of Libya are controlled by militias acting independently.

Mr Musrati said that although the Maltese government had issued advice against travel to Libya, his office had issued some 400 travel visas so far this year. The rival governments do not recognise each other's visas.

Mr Musrati regretted that the Maltese government has not made contact with him and had only contacted the Tobruk government.