Alleged Hijackers On Cargo Ship Were Actually Asylum Seekers, Says Italian Prosecutors

A group of alleged hijackers on a Turkey-based cargo vessel were asylum seekers; it has been understood. The group, including two children and a pregnant woman, did not present a threat to the ship they boarded, per the prosecutors based in Italy.

The group comprising individuals from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, reportedly boarded the Galata Seaway vessel set up from Topcular, Turkey, on 7 June.

Video Credits: The Independent / YouTube

Per Italy’s government, the stowaways had been discovered by the crew members who tried to take some of them hostage inside the bridge with the help of knives.

The defence minister of Italy, Guido Crosetto, later claimed that the ship’s captain had radioed for assistance and also sent an urgent request to Ankara, who reported the matter to relevant Italian authorities.

After the report, the Italian authorities soon dispatched two attack helicopters, three military vessels, and dozens of Special Forces units to overpower the alleged “pirates”.

References: Express, The Guardian, inkl

Alleged Hijackers On Cargo Ship Were Actually Asylum Seekers, Says Italian Prosecutors appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News