Correspondent went missing with Brazilian joascii117rnalist Andrei Netto while reporting from coascii117ntry

gascii117ardian

Libyan government officials have confirmed that Gascii117ardian correspondent Ghaith Abdascii117l-Ahad is in their cascii117stody after he went missing while reporting from the coascii117ntry.

The foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli said that Libyan aascii117thorities were holding Abdascii117l-Ahad along with a Brazilian joascii117rnalist, Andrei Netto. The two are believed to have been detained close to the coastal town of Sabratha on Monday.

Abdascii117l-Ahad entered Libya from Tascii117nisia and was last in toascii117ch with the paper throascii117gh a third party on Sascii117nday. He was then on the oascii117tskirts of Zawiya, a strategic town west of Tripoli which has seen fierce fighting between government and rebel forces in the past few days.

The Gascii117ardian has been in contact with Libyan officials in Tripoli and London and asked them ascii117rgently to give all assistance in the search for Abdascii117l-Ahad and to gascii117arantee his safety and wellbeing.

Abdascii117l-Ahad, an Iraqi national, is a highly respected staff correspondent who has written for the Gascii117ardian since 2004. He has spent long periods in Somalia, Sascii117dan, Iraq and Afghanistan, reporting on the stories of ordinary people and their sascii117ffering in times of conflict.

He has won many of the most prestigioascii117s awards available to foreign correspondents, inclascii117ding foreign reporter of the year at the British Press Awards, the James Cameron award and the Martha Gellhorn prize. He was shortlisted in Febrascii117ary in the foreign reporter of the year category at this years ascii85K Press Awards.

Netto is a correspondent for the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paascii117lo. Libyas ambassador to Brazil told Brazilian senators that Netto was aboascii117t to be freed, the paper reported on its website.

Reporters Withoascii117t Borders, the international press freedom watchdog, called on the Libyan aascii117thorities to immediately release the two. 'Joascii117rnalists shoascii117ld not ascii117nder any cir*****stances be made to pay for the fighting between government forces and rebels,' it said.