Two Libyan fighter jet pilots who landed without authorization in Malta on Monday afternoon have asked for political asylum, an army official told the German Press Agency dpa.
The pilots - both colonels operating from Okba Bin Nafe, a base near the Libyan capital Tripoli - surrendered to the Maltese authorities and were taken in for questioning, the official said.
One news report claimed that the pilots had been ordered to take to the air and bombard protesters in various parts of Benghazi, a north-eastern Libyan city that has become a hotspot amid a wave of pro-democracy protests.
Emboldened by successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the demonstrators have been calling since Wednesday for the ouster of Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi, who has been in power for 41 years - leading to violent clashes with security forces.
The landing of the jets came shortly after two civilian helicopters, also from Libya and carrying seven people, arrived at Malta International Airport.
The helicopters left Libya with no official clearance and were also believed to have been used by defectors, news reports said.
Earlier on Monday, several staff members at Libya's embassy in Malta had joined protesters calling for the Gaddafi's resignation.
Three employees, including security chief Haled al Ashtari, were seen leaving the embassy building in the Maltese town of Attard.
They then joined a crowd of hundreds of Libyan nationals demonstrating outside the building.
An embassy spokesman said the three men who had walked out were "low-ranking Libyan employees who were not officials, officers or diplomats."
The protesters - some of whom carried signs reading "Human rights for the Libyan people" - also called on the ambassador to step down and for the embassy to replace Libya's current flag, introduced by Gaddafi following his seizure of power in a 1969 coup d'etat, with the old Libyan monarchy flag.
The Mediterranean island nation of Malta is