Maltese soldiers arrest migrants who hijacked rescue ship

March 28 (UPI) -- Migrants who hijacked a tanker ship returning them to Libya were arrested by Maltese soldiers early Thursday.

The Turkish ship El Hiblu 1 previously rescued more than 100 migrants, including women and children, from a sinking ship in the Mediterranean Sea. But things took a turn when the migrants realized they were being returned to Libya. A group of five migrants took control of the El Hiblu about six miles from Tripoli and ordered the crew to go north to Europe.

Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini, who has taken a strong anti-immigration stance, said none of the migrants would be allowed into Italy.

"They are pirates," Salvini posted on Facebook in Italian. "The only way they will see Italy is through a telescope."

Maltese officials also refused to allow the ship to dock. Instead, soldiers from the country stormed the vessel and arrested the hijackers about 30 miles from Malta's coast. They were aided by several patrol boats and a helicopter.

The crew members were threatened with violence if they resisted the hijackers. But there were no injuries reported and no weapons used.

The rest of the migrants got off the ship safely as armed soldiers guarded them.

Humanitarian group Mediterranea Saving Humans said "these are human beings fleeing from hell. We ask that the 108 people on board be considered refugees to be welcomed and protected."

The hijacking occurred on the same day that the European Union announced it would no longer patrol the Mediterranean looking for migrants.

Non-governmental organization Sea Eye said the 108 migrants are being "criminalized and instrumentalized."

"The EU will have to take responsibility for this renewed escalation if cargo ships have to take on government responsibilities which the Libyan Coast Guard is often unable to fulfill," Sea-Eye spokesman Gorden Isler said.