A group of Libyans calling for the removal of 10 embassy employees for their alleged links with the Gaddafi regime yesterday entered the building and refused to leave until the ambassador assured them he would take action.

After coming out of the embassy flashing the victory sign, the Libyans said Ambassador Saadun Suayeh promised he will be investigating the matter and taking the necessary action to have the eight diplomats and two contract workers removed.

An embassy spokesman told The Times the ambassador was not making a public statement but confirmed that Dr Suayeh spoke to the men who had entered the embassy. She described the meeting as “calm and quiet”.

The group of around 10 Libyan nationals resident in Malta alleged that the 10 embassy workers had close ties to the Gaddafi regime and wanted them stripped of their diplomatic immunity.

They were also angered because in a number of drawers and cupboards in the embassy they claimed to have found Gaddafi posters, copies of the Green Book and the old regime’s green flag.

One of the men came out of the embassy with a small green flag and tried to set it alight before throwing it to the ground and stamping on it.

Another angry protester said former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who has defended Muammar Gaddafi and is known for his close ties to the regime, should “follow Gaddafi to hell”.

The new Libyan government, the National Transitional Council, can remove the people and appoint other officials but the Maltese government can also refuse to continue granting diplomatic immunity to the alleged Gaddafi sympathisers. A contingent of police officers from the elite Special Assignment Group was on standby outside the embassy while talks were being held inside. A senior police officer on site said the police were never asked to enter the embassy.