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Italian Special Forces raided a cargo ship which was hijacked by 15 people armed with knives. Photo/Twitter via India Today
ROMA – Special force Italy has raided a cargo ship sailing from Turki to France after about 15 men armed with knives hijacked the ship.
The dozens of people armed with knives turned out to be asylum seekers. They, consisting of 13 men and two women from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, allegedly slipped undetected onto the cargo ship Galatea Seaways in hopes of reaching Europe.
Italy’s Defense Ministry on Saturday said the ship, which is designed to carry vehicles and sail under the Turkish flag with a crew of 22, departed from Topcular in Turkey on June 7 and was bound for Sète in southern France.
However, once on board, dozens of stowaways were found by the crew and allegedly tried to take several sailors hostage using knives.
The ship’s captain managed to radio for help, sending an urgent request to Ankara, who then reported the incident to Italian authorities, as the ship sailed 90 miles off the coast of Italy.
“An operation is underway on a ship that is being boarded by pirates… Stowaways used weapons that appeared to be daggers to threaten the crew,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told reporters.
“The San Marco battalion had to intervene,” he was quoted as saying by the Ansa news agency.
“What is known about the hijackers is that they are illegal immigrants. Let’s hope this ends as quickly as possible with no consequences for anyone.”
After a nearly seven-hour military operation, special forces regained control of the ship, capturing the pirates – some of whom had barricaded themselves in the depths of the hold.
Two Navy helicopters as well as Coast Guard ships and the financial police were involved in the operation.
“The ship has now been recaptured and all 22 Turkish crew members are safe,” said the Italian Defense Ministry.
The cargo ship eventually anchored outside the port of Naples, according to ship tracking website MarineTraffic, and there was heavy police at the port.
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