The Serbian embassy in Libya has, for now, no information about the alleged arrest of five Serbs near Tripoli.

The AFP news agency reported on Wednesday evening a statement by Libyan rebel Ahmed Mehdi that the rebels have detained five Serbs in an attempt to secure the main road between Tripoli and the capital's international airport.

We detained five Serbs who say they are construction workers, but we think they may be pro-Gadhafi snipers.

They are in a secure place, inside the airport, Mehdi said.

He said that journalists cannot see the prisoners until the investigation is completed, and added that they are checking with the company whether the Serbs are its legitimate workers as they claim.

The international airport in Tripoli is located about 30 kilometers south from the capital downtown.

There is a war raging here, shooting can be heard and there is no electricity. We have no information about the alleged arrest of Serbs, Tanjug was told by an official of the embassy in Tripoli on Wednesday evening.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Libyan Embassy charge d'affaires for assistance

The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the charge d'affaires of the Libyan Embassy in Belgrade on Thursday and asked for his assistance in obtaining more information about the five Serbian citizens who were allegedly arrested near Tripoli.

We asked the charge d'affaires of the Libyan Embassy, which displayed the flag of the Transitional National Council two days ago, to lend a hand in obtaining more information about the identity of five Serbian detainees and the reasons for their arrest, Tanjug learnt at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to a release, the ministry got fully engaged in the quest for more information that would point to the identity of arrestees whose nationality has not yet been definitely confirmed as Serbian.

The ministry said that the Serbian Embassy in Tripoli is trying to get more information about the detainees in the still chaotic situation in the city, but it is difficult to obtain definite facts due to the complex situation in Tripoli.

Late on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse quoted Libyan rebel fighter Ahmed Mehdi as saying that rebel forces captured five Serbian citizens in an attempt to secure the road on the line from the capital to the international airport.