The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, downed south of the capital on Tuesday a fighter jet belonging to the Government of National Accord (GNA) and that was flown by a foreign mercenary.
The Mirage F1 was downed in Al-Hira region, 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Tripoli, the LNA said on its Facebook page.
The LNA media unit released photographs of what it said was the pilot receiving medical treatment while seated on a chair.
Video posted on social media showed the pilot, looking groggy and wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt and khaki jacket, being questioned in English.
Asked his name, he said what sounded to be Jimmy Rees but his answer was not clear. He gave his age as 29 and said he was “from Portugal”.
In Lisbon, the Portuguese Defense Ministry and they could not confirm the pilot’s nationality.
“For now, the only thing we can say is that he is not a Portuguese soldier,” a ministry spokeswoman told Reuters.
Asked about the incident by AFP, a spokesman for the Portuguese defense ministry said the country's "air force has no missing pilots, is not currently on a mission in Libya and does not have a Mirage F1 in its fleet".
A spokesman for forces aligned with the GNA which is based in Tripoli had no immediate comment on the incident.
Residents of Gharyan, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli, said that when the plane was heard overhead, anti-aircraft fire opened up. There was an explosion as it was hit.
“The jet was shot down in Al-Hira town (10 km from Gharyan) and I saw LNA troops capturing the pilot,” a Gharyan resident told Reuters.
