The Deterrence Force for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime, which controls Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport, has arrested seven employees of Montreal based GardaWorld since April 11.

“Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our team and we are actively working with the Libyan authorities to secure their release,” vice-president Isabelle Panelli wrote in an email to Canadian newspaper La Presse.

GardaWorld, one of the largest security companies in the world, is partnered with the French company Amarante International in Libya. Their partnership provides security for the European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM).

“Seven members of their team, three expatriate contractors and four local nationals were arrested on April 11, 2023 due to an administrative imbroglio, while they were carrying out a routine task”, explained Panelli.

“For reasons of safety of our personnel in the region, we will not issue any additional comment in relation to this situation,” she concluded.

The seven employees include four Libyan drivers and three armed guards of Irish, Romanian, and Croatian nationality.

In an interview with La Presse, the president of Amarante, Alexander Hollander, assures that the team is working hard at the moment to have them released, but that there is no particular reason to fear for their safety.

“We have no elements that lead us to believe that they are mistreated or in danger,” said Hollander.

According to an article by Africa Intelligence, The Deterrence Force arrested the employees because they did not have a license to carry weapons from Libya. The site added that the Montreal company only had a “license issued directly by EUBAM”, the European mission that awarded them the contract.

The company is increasing its contracts in Libya, notably with the British Embassy in Tripoli and the Italian oil giant ENI.

Some of the company’s staff are “reportedly still working in the field despite their visas expiring”, adds Africa Intelligence.