VALLETTA: Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Friday on Twitter he had been alerted to a "potential hijack" of a Libyan plane reported to be headed for the Mediterranean island.
"Informed of potential hijack situation of a #Libya internal flight diverted to #Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by -JM," the premier said in a post from his official account.
Maltese government sources told AFP there were 118 people on board the plane, including seven crew.
Maltese media reported that the hijacked plane was an Airbus 320 that had been on a domestic Libyan flight operated by Afriqiyah Airways.
Libya has been in a state of chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi left warring militias battling for control of different parts of the country.
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