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Rescued migrants hijack merchant ship off Libya, demand it heads toward Europe
https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?a...id=29927&stc=1
Authorities have identified the hijacked ship as the Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1.
Migrants hijacked a cargo ship that rescued them in the Mediterranean Sea and forced the crew to put the Libya-bound vessel on a course north toward Europe, authorities in two European countries have said.
Key points:
- Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini said it was "the first act of piracy on the high seas with migrants" as alleged hijackers
- The Italian and Maltese governments have both vowed to keep the vessel from their territorial waters
- There was no immediate word on the condition of the ship's crew
The Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1 had rescued about 120 people on Wednesday (local time), Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said, when migrants seized control of the ship six miles from the Libyan coast.
The new route put the ship on course for Italy's Lampedusa island and the island nation of Malta.
The Governments of both countries have vowed to keep it from their territorial waters in the Mediterranean.
Mr Salvini described the incident as "the first act of piracy on the high seas with migrants" as alleged hijackers.
"Poor castaways, who hijack a merchant ship that saved them because they want to decide the route of the cruise," Mr Salvini, who heads the anti-migrant League party, was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.
"These are not migrants in distress, they are pirates. They will only see Italy through a telescope."
There was no immediate word on the condition of El Hiblu 1's crew.
www abc net au/news/2019-03-28/rescued-migrants-hijack-merchant-ship-off-libya/10949882
