Tunisia denies migrants arrested on approach to Italy were 'terrorists'

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Tunisian authorities on Tuesday denied accusations by Italy that migrants it arrested as they tried to cross the Mediterranean for Italian shores were "terrorists."

Tunisia's interior ministry on Monday announced the arrest of 15 people heading for European shores, stating that nine of them were considered by police as "Salafists," or fundamentalist Muslims.

On Tuesday, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted about the arrest of nine "ISLAMIST EXTREMISTS" attempting to travel to Italy, saying: "That's for those who say 'terrorists don't arrive by boast.'"

Migrants are rescued by SOS Mediterranee organization and Doctors Without Borders during a search and rescue (SAR) operation with the MV Aquarius rescue ship in the Mediterranean Sea, off the Libyan Coast, August 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

Salvini, who is also a leader of the far-right League party, in March, described migrants arriving illegally to Italy as "delinquents."

Reacting to Salvini's tweet, spokesman for Tunisia's National Guard Houssemeddine Jebabli told the country's Mosaique FM radio that "there was no terrorist project against Italy in this attempt to migrate illegally."

"They wanted to flee Tunisia in search of a better life, like other migrants," Jebabli told AFP, adding that those arrested were men aged 28 to 42 and that none of them were suspected of having links to terrorist groups.

A growing number of Tunisians seeking a better future are trying to cross the Mediterranean and enter Europe illegally.

Migrants are seen on board the MV Aquarius rescue ship run by SOS Mediterranee organization and Doctors Without Borders during a search and rescue (SAR) operation in the Mediterranean Sea, off the Libyan Coast, August 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

In the first half of 2018, Tunisian authorities arrested 2,659 people for trying to cross the sea illegally, compared to 564 people during the same period last year.

Hundreds have drowned in a series of deadly shipwrecks in recent months. The latest wreck on June 3, left 87 people dead.

The interior ministry announced on Tuesday two separate arrest of two youths suspected of having received training over the Internet from ISIL group jihadists on how to make explosives and carry out knife attacks.

Source(s): AFP