Italian authorities busted a migrant trafficking network with links to radical groups operating between Italy and Tunisia. The criminal network was dismantled following the arrest of 13 suspects in a high-speed migrant trafficking ring operating between Tunisia and Sicily whose members espoused radical jihadist views. Police in Sicily said that a wiretapped conversation between two traffickers revealed one saying he intended to travel to France and carry out a suicide attack and asking for prayers. The group engaged in migrants trafficking from the Tunisian port of Nabeul to Trapani in Sicily aboard rubber dinghies equipped with high-speed outboard motors and trained navigators for €3,000 to €5,000 per person. The traffickers also carried contraband cigarettes for a total value per trip of up to €70,000, with the capacity to run two trips a week.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 12, 2018 10:52 UTC