A rare video following the rescue of hospital manager Pierre Baldacchino has shown the Maltese national break down following his ordeal as he recounts his worry over not seeing his children again and thanking his rescuers.
In a short clip released by Tripolis Special Deterrent Force, known as Rada, an armed group affiliated with the Tripoli based governments Interior Ministry, Baldacchino appears alongside two masked gunmen who appear to have been part of the rescue mission to save him.
I am Pierre Baldacchino; I have been kidnapped a week ago by the highway, the private hospital manager says to camera. Baldacchino, who was kidnapped on 15 December and held hostage for €5m, goes on to explain that he was blindfolded and bound throughout the hostage taking.
After thanking the gunmen flanking him and the cameraman, Baldacchino recounts It was a very bad week before briefly losing his composure as he says I was thinking a lot of things including not seeing my kids.
The Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has thanked the Libyan authorities for their coordination with security services in Valetta, reiterating that authorities in Malta continue to advise against travel to Libya.
In an interview with the Times of Malta, Baldacchino has said he heard activity outside, just prior to his release at 1:30am, as his rescuers climbed up the walls of the building in which he was being held and broke into his cell.
He said when he was kidnapped by four armed and hooded men he thought he was going to suffer a heart attack. Baldacchino was the third Maltese citizen to be abducted in Libya in the last 18 months and the second to be kidnapped this year. Malta, which lies just over 200 miles off the coast of Tripoli, has strong economic ties with the North African oil producer.
However, Valetta has become increasingly concerned by the growing unrest in Libya and the emergence of the Islamic State (Isis)s strongest overseas province on its doorstep.
