Italian police yesterday arrested 55 people accused of involvement in trafficking Somalis to northern Europe via Malta and Greece.

Newspaper Il Messaggero reported that those arrested formed part of a criminal syndicate with cells in Italy, Kenya and Libya.

The trafficked people were allegedly taken to Malta or Greece and then on to logistical bases in Italy close to airports.

There, they were issued with false documents and helped on their way to northern Europe, particularly The Netherlands, France, Denmark, UK, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Among those arrested was Hussein Mohamed Abdurahman, nicknamed Banje, who was cultural mediator at the Italian Embassy in Nairobi.

Bashir Sheik Ali, who worked closely with the UN World Food Programme, was also arrested, according to Il Messaggero.

The 55 detainees are variously accused of aiding and abetting the aggravated illegal immigration of citizens from the Horn of Africa and directly through Italian territory to northern Europe, as well as falsification of documents, abusive financial activities, money laundering and other crimes.

A further 23 people suspected of helping the trafficking network are still at large, Il Messaggero reported.

The police in Malta did not respond to questions related to this investigation by the time of going to press.