The Catania Public Prosecutor has ordered the seizure of migrant rescue boat The Aquarius – and is investigating the NGO that runs the boat on charges of illegal trafficking.
Euronews has contacted the NGO, Medecins Sans Frontieres, for comment.
Italy’s interior minister Matteo Salvini has tweeted on the subject of the seizure of the ship.
Sequestrata la nave #Aquarius.
Ho fatto bene a bloccare le navi delle ONG, ho fermato non solo il traffico di immigrati clandestini ma, da quanto emerge, anche quello di rifiuti tossici.#portichiusi pic.twitter.com/79GPrejO4h— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) 20 ноября 2018 г.