Police foil suspected human trafficking

A number of Maltese nationals and six illegal immigrants, three of whom had escaped from detention centres, were arrested early on Monday morning at St Paul's Bay in what is suspected to be an attempt at human trafficking. Sources said the arrests were...

A number of Maltese nationals and six illegal immigrants, three of whom had escaped from detention centres, were arrested early on Monday morning at St Paul's Bay in what is suspected to be an attempt at human trafficking.

Sources said the arrests were made in a co-ordinated operation between immigration police, the mobile squad and the district police.

The immigrants are three Iraqis, two Tunisians and an Algerian. In the operation the police seized a speedboat that was still on land. It is suspected that the immigrants were about to be taken out of the island.

However, sources said none of the immigrants claimed to have paid any money to be ferried out of Malta.

Police investigations continue.

In the meantime, the calm weather saw the arrival of 25 illegal immigrants in a boat at Birzebbuga at 2 a.m. yesterday morning.

The immigrants included 20 men, four women and a child.

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