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Italy arrests captain of charity vessel carrying migrants

Sabina Castelfranco

   ROME - Italian police Saturday arrested the captain of the
   Dutch-flagged Sea Watch 3 vessel, owned by a German charity, after it
   docked in the port of Lampedusa with out authorization. The vessel,
   still carrying 40 African migrants, had been at sea for more than two
   weeks.

   Carola Rakete, the 31-year-old German captain of the Sea Watch 3, was
   arrested Saturday morning amid heavy police presence in the port of
   Lampedusa. She had entered the port without authorization and docked
   the vessel.

   Rakete said she had no choice but to enter the port because the
   situation of the migrants on board was very tense and she feared they
   would inflict self-harm.

   Italian authorities had refused to allow the vessel entry into
   Lampedusa since it rescued 53 migrants on an inflatable raft off the
   coast of Libya on June 12. Malta had also refused port entry to the Sea
   Watch 3.

   Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini had been clear about his
   requests.

   He said he wanted the arrest of any unlawful person who even put at
   risk Italian law and order officials, a fine for this foreign NGO, the
   seizure of the ship to stop it going around the Mediterranean breaking
   the laws and the distribution of all the migrants on board in other
   European states.

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