Tripoli mayor Mahdi al-Harati is in Malta on one of his regular visits as a private citizen, government sources have confirmed, dispelling notions that he is a threat to national security.
l-orizzont reported yesterday that Arab sources believed he was dangerous, and that he was possibly responsible for the entry of Islamic State (IS, also known as Isis) militants from Iraq and Syria into Libya.
Government sources said yesterday that Mr al-Harati holds an Irish passport and entered the country as a private citizen. He will be leaving in the coming days.
Mr al-Harati has fought in multiple countries, including Libya and Syria, as part of revolutionary brigades.
He lived in Ireland for 20 years where he worked as a teacher and then returned to North Africa and became the co-commander of the Tripoli Brigade during the Libyan uprising against Col Gaddafi.