An Italian investigation has identified a criminal organization that allegedly provided "luxury trips" for migrants from Tunisia to Sicily. Investigators in Palermo said they believed some of the members of the organization to be jihadist extremists.
The Palermo prosecutor's office on Tuesday issued 13 arrest warrants for Tunisian, Italian and Moroccan members of an organization that allegedly arranged trips for migrants from Tunisia to Sicily on super-fast dinghies.
Investigators said the crossings carried 10-15 passengers per trip, and the migrants allegedly paid between 3,000 and 5,000 euros in exchange for safe passage. The trip between the coasts of Tunisia and Italy took just under four hours.
Investigators said the migrants who landed on Italian shores managed to evade checks by authorities as well as identification procedures. They said the method was a way to ensure anonymity to those arriving in Europe who may have intentions of terrorism.
Some suspects allegedly jihadists
Italian finance police have conducted searches at the homes and places used as operating bases by those named in the arrest warrants. Police say the organization is headed by dangerous Tunisian criminals, and that the trips also included the transport of contraband cigarettes to be sold on the black market, mainly in Palermo.
The investigation revealed that some members of the criminal organization were allegedly jihadist extremists who showed hostility towards the West, including through fake social media profiles where they posted propaganda. In a wiretapped conversation between organization leaders and a Moroccan accomplice, the Moroccan says he is going to France to carry out "dangerous actions after which he may not be able to come back." In the taped conversation, the man asks the other men to pray for him and says he trusts in God's help "to carry out what he has to do."
Three confirmed landings
Police say the group completed three crossings of the Strait of Sicily. They seized more than 400 kg of contraband cigarettes, mainly foreign brands, which were intended for sale in local neighborhood markets in Palermo at prices of no more than three euros per pack, with revenue reaching more than 17,000 euros for every 100 kg of contraband sold.
Investigators say the group would have been able to complete at least two crossings per week between Tunisia and Italy. The probe has revealed a true cross-border operation between Tunisia and Italy in which each person in the group had a pre-determined role, from migrant recruitment, payment collection, dinghy maintenance, driving, and even initial lodgings for the migrants upon arrival in Sicily.