09 June 202319:24
The men of the San Marco battalion intervened on board, descending from two Navy helicopters near Ischia
A turkish shipGalata Seaways, bound for France, was subject to a kidnapping attempt by 15 illegal immigrants near the island of Ischia, in the gulf of Napoli. Some migrants, armed with knives, attempted to enter the bridge with the intention of hijacking the ferry and kidnapping the crew. The intervention of the special forces of the San Marco battalion, with two helicopters, made it possible to thwart the blitz and bring the situation back to normal. “THE The ship’s hijackers were captured. Everything ended well”, explained the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto. The ship was taken to the roadstead in Naples.
Crew safe “It is known that the hijackers are illegal immigrants who got on board using weapons, such as daggers”, added the minister. Inside the ship, the group of migrants therefore attempted to kidnap some of the crew inside the bridge. After the intervention of the Navy, with the soldiers of the San Marco battalion, some would have been blocked and arrested while others were identified in the evening after an operation to clean up the ship.
Photogallery – Migrants seize a Turkish ship in Naples: the raid by the Italian special forces
Crosetto: “Hidden assailants to escape into the sea at night” The Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, speaking by telephone to ‘Stasera Italia’ on Retequattro, explained that “when they heard the helicopter” some kidnappers “fled, probably then trying to flee by sea at night. However, the ship is surrounded” . Crosetto explained that the military “had to take control of the ship and they did it in a very short time. The armed forces also serve in situations like these”.
On board 15 migrants including two women The Galata Seaways ship, which departed from the port of Topcular in Turkey on June 7, was bound for France at the port of Sete where the arrival was scheduled for Saturday. At the height of the gulf of Naples, from the layout of the route which is obtained from specialized sites, a clear deviation from the foreseen route has been seen. 15 migrants were found on board, 13 men and two women. Responding to questions from the financiers and agents of the Naples flying squad, who made use of an interpreter, they reported that they were of Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi nationality.
Found two knives and a box cutter On board the investigators found two knives and a cutter: it could be, it is the hypothesis under consideration, the weapons used to threaten the crew. Investigators are now working to figure out which of the 15 migrants took part in the hijacking. The investigations are coordinated by the Naples prosecutor’s office (prosecutor Enrica Parascandolo) and are 360 degrees: it is a question of identifying the people involved, establishing what their real intentions were, the existence of any links with terrorist fringes. It will then be necessary to reconstruct what happened in detail, starting with the place where the hijacking took place because this will determine the territorial jurisdiction of the investigators.