"Pirates" on a Turkish cargo ship in the Mediterranean, intervention of Italian commandos

"Pirates", possibly migrants, tried Friday, June 9, to hijack off Naples a Turkish ship heading to the France, provoking the intervention of Italian special forces, said the Italian Ministry of Defense.

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An operation is underway on a ship on which pirates have boarded (...). The illegals used weapons, such as daggers" to threaten the crew, Minister Guido Crosetto told reporters. The situation remained confused in the early evening but according to a government source to AFP, Italian special forces have regained control of the situation.

The number of attackers undetermined

The ship is a Turkish-flagged roll-on/roll-off vessel, Galata Seaways, which departed Topcular in Turkey on June 7 for Sète in southern France, where it was due to arrive Saturday with 22 crew members, according to Italian media.

Off Naples (south), an unknown number of armed men threatened and "sequestered" the crew in the command cabin. The cargo ship then "clearly deviated from its trajectory," says the Ansa agency. The Navy's helicopter special forces raided the ship and arrested some attackers, but the inspection of the boat continued to find possible accomplices.