Libyan Air Force Fires Live Ammo at Protesters in Tripoli, Two Pilots Refuse, Defect to Malta…

VALLETTA, Malta – Two Libyan air force jets landed in Malta on Monday and their pilots asked for political asylum amid a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Libya, a military source said.

The two Mirage jets landed at Malta International Airport shortly after two civilian helicopters landed carrying seven people who said they were French. A military source familiar with the situation said the passengers had left in such a hurry that only one had a passport.

The source, who insisted he not be identified further, said the jet pilots — both Libyan air force colonels — had communicated from the air that they wanted political asylum. They had left from a base near Tripoli and had flown low over Libyan airspace to avoid detection, the source said.

The aircraft remained at Malta’s airport, away from the commercial area, while the pilots and helicopter passengers were being questioned by airport immigration officials, the source said.

  

A Libyan air force pilot descends from his Mirage F1 fighter jet after landing at Malta International Airport outside Valletta February 21, 2011. Two Libyan fighter jets landed unexpectedly in Malta on Monday, witnesses said. Local newspaper reporters saw the single seater Mirage jets land at Malta's international airport on Monday afternoon. The Maltese Foreign Ministry said it was trying to establish why the planes had landed. No other information was immediately available.

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