Jordan's ambassador in Libya was kidnapped on Tuesday morning after masked gunmen attacked his car and shot his driver, a spokesman for Libya's foreign ministry said.

The driver survived the attack and was in hospital.

A Jordanian foreign ministry source said they believed that the incident occurred as their ambassador, Fawaz al-Itan, was leaving his house.

According to an official at the foreign ministry, security authorities in Jordan have started operations to get more details.