Canadian Foreign Ministry says Canadian detained in Libya can leave

Official says Canadian detained in Libya can leave

CAIRO — An official says a Canadian man reportedly detained in Libya on suspicion of spying on a planned BP offshore drilling project can now leave the country.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department spokeswoman Catherine Loubier said Wednesday that restrictions preventing Douglas O’Reilly from leaving Libya had been lifted. She did not provide further details. Libyan officials have refused to comment on the case.

Libya’s daily Oea newspaper reported Monday the man was detained after allegedly meeting a U.S. diplomat suspected as a CIA agent and that he was being questioned and prevented from leaving his hotel in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Oil firms have been competing for Libyan contracts since the country emerged from international isolation nearly a decade ago.