Three Algerian citizens were stopped by the police on charges of aiding illegal immigration.
The three, all in their early twenties, are believed to be responsible for taking a small boat carrying ten migrants from the North African coast to the south of Sardinia, then abandoning them in the open sea, more than 70 miles from the Algerian coast.
According to the investigations, coordinated by the Flying Squad of the Cagliari police headquarters and started following one of the landings that took place on June 2, the three managed to get away from the reception center in Monastir, where they had initially been taken with other migrants. They were later traced in the Cagliari center thanks to an investigative activity that also involved Frontex operators.
The story emerged thanks to the testimonies of the surviving migrants and some videos acquired by investigators . The three arrested were supposed to drive two boats, departing from Annaba (Algeria) with 20 people on board, bound for the Sulcis coast. During the crossing, one of the two boats suffered an engine failure. At that point, according to the stories, two of the traffickers threatened the passengers with a knife and abandoned the broken-down boat, climbing onto the working one together with others, leaving ten people adrift at sea.
The distress call was sent to the Port Authority of Cagliari, which activated air searches in the national jurisdiction area. However, at the moment, there are no positive results.
In addition to the arrest of the three alleged traffickers, the police also arrested another Algerian citizen, the recipient of a ban on re-entry into Italy previously issued by the police commissioner, which was found to have been violated with the recent landing. In light of the serious evidence of guilt and the concrete risk of escape, the Judicial Authority validated the arrest of the three alleged traffickers, ordering precautionary custody for all of them in prison in Uta.
