Two Libyan men have appeared in court in the Maltese capital Valetta, charged with hijacking an airliner on Friday.

The men diverted the internal Libyan flight, telling crew they had grenades.

It appears that the men are supporters of the toppled Libyan leader Gaddafi. One Libyan lawmaker said the men were demanding the creation of a pro-Gaddafi party, 5 years after the former leader was toppled by a bloody civil war.

Both men pleaded ‘not guilty’ in court.