A pilot and weapons officer, on board a US fighter jet which crashed in Libya after a mechanical failure, were safely rescued after ejecting the aircraft.

The F-15E Strike Eagle plane, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, crashed last night about 25 miles south-west of the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

A search and rescue aircraft retrieved the pilot, while the second crew member, a weapons officer, was taken in by rebels and handed over to the US. Both suffered only minor injuries.

The plane was flying out of Italy’s Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn.