The migrants demanded they be taken to Europe and refused to go back to Libya. The Sun reported that the ship is now sailing towards Malta. The rescued Africans forced it to go to Malta after stopping it taking them back to Libya.
Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini menawhile described the migrants as “pirates” after it was announced they were heading towards Malta. “These are not migrants in distress, they are pirates, they will only see Italy through a telescope.
“This is clearly a case of organised crime.”
Italy and Malta have formed an “anti-illegals axis” after the rescued migrants hijacked the merchant ship, the interior ministry said Thursday.
The Maltese ambassador was received at the interior ministry Thursday morning, the ministry said.
This was a chance “to open a new phase of collaboration between the two countries. Concrete proposals will shortly be formulated to intervene against clandestine immigration and human trafficking in the Mediterranean”.
Salvini told the media: “Immigration is managed by criminals and should be blocked by any legal means necessary.”
But Euro News attacked Salvini by suggesting that his remarks were “shameful” and claiming that it was “not technically piracy” because piracy needs to involve “two ships” and not one. As a matter of fact, it did involve two ships.
RT reported that the ship was rescued on Thursday morning after being stormed by Maltese special forces to capture the migrants on the Turkish tanker.
The hijacked vessel was escorted to Malta’s capital, Valletta where all the migrants will soon be handed over to tlaw enforcement. Patrol boats and a helicopter participated in the operation to intercept and capture the vessel.
There are some 108 migrants on board, mostly adult men, the Times of Malta reported, citing government sources. Other sources suggest that the number of migrants may be as high as 120.
It was later announced that five migrants who allegedly led the hijacking of a tanker in the Mediterranean were arrested in Malta. They were led off the merchant vessel, the El Hiblu 1 tanker, in plastic handcuffs, according to The Telegraph.
Maltese authorities established communications with the captain of the tanker when it was about 30 nautical miles away from Malta. The five arrested are likely to be charged with “illegally forcing the captain of the ship to hand over control through coercive action and changing its course,” Maltese government sources said.
In November, a group of angry migrants seized control of a container ship that had picked them up at sea, and barricaded themselves inside, refusing to disembark in the Libyan port of Misrata. After 10 days, Libyan authorities forcibly removed them from the vessel and they were taken to a detention centre.