Italian prosecutors in Naples have determined that a group of individuals who allegedly hijacked a cargo ship were malnourished asylum seekers, including a pregnant woman and two minors with hypothermia. They were not deemed a threat and had boarded the vessel in an attempt to reach Europe, as reported by The Guardian.
No actual threat
Italy’s far-right defence minister, Guido Crosetto, deployed military ships, special forces units, and attack helicopters to counter a group of alleged “pirates” who attempted to hijack a Turkish vessel. However, sources from the prosecutor’s office reveal that Italian investigators concluded that there was no actual threat, violence, or hijacking. The group consisted of thirteen men and two women, primarily from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, who secretly boarded the ship en route from Turkey to France. The Italian government claimed that the stowaways attempted to take some sailors, hostage, using knives, but this narrative has been refuted. The captain of the ship reportedly sent an urgent request for help to Ankara, which then notified Italian authorities as the ship sailed off the Italian coast.
Attempted hijacking?
Italy’s defence minister, Guido Crosetto, referred to the stowaways as “hijackers” and claimed that they were armed with weapons like daggers. However, after conducting an investigation and questioning the asylum seekers and crew members, prosecutors in Naples determined that the group of refugees did not pose a threat. As a result, they refused to charge them with attempted hijacking. Sources revealed that the captain of the cargo ship did not mention any risk of hijacking when he requested help.
The investigation
When questioned by the press and faced with accusations of exaggeration, Guido Crosetto defended the intervention of Italian forces, stating that they followed standard protocol. Three of the men were charged with possessing knives, which they allegedly used to cut the tarpaulin of a truck in which they were hiding. The two women, one of whom was pregnant, were taken to the hospital, while the men were transferred to a refugee reception centre. This incident highlights the increasing risks people face as they resort to hazardous routes to evade violence from Balkan security forces and interception by the Libyan coastguard in the central Mediterranean. Recent tragedies, such as the discovery of 18 deceased individuals in an abandoned truck in Bulgaria and the deaths of seven men who boarded a container in Serbia, demonstrate the desperate measures people undertake in hopes of reaching safer destinations.
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Source: The Guardian
