Air Malta this afternoon cancelled its flight to the Libyan city of Benghazi as a precautionary measure as the UK warned of a "specific and imminent" threat to Westerners.

An airline spokesman said next Tuesday's flight has not been cancelled but the airline will keep the situation under review. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said he has been in contact with the Maltese ambassador in Tripoli and the consul in Benghazi.

“We are monitoring the situation round the clock and advising Maltese nationals in Benghazi, of who we are aware, to be cautious,” he said.

While the situation was worrying, he added, the degree of threat with regards to Malta was no different than it had been over the past few days.

Earlier today Britain urged its nationals to evacuate, giving no details of the nature of the danger.

An attack on the US mission in the eastern city in September last year killed four Americans, including the US ambassador, part of a wave of violence targeting foreign diplomats, military and police officers.

"We are now aware of a specific and imminent threat to Westerners in Benghazi, and urge any British nationals who remain there against our advice to leave immediately," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

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