One dead as Tunisia forces arrest refugees

TUNIS: A migrant died early on Friday as Tunisian security forces clashed with a group of Tunisians and Africans embarking on a clandestine sea crossing to Italy, a security official said.

The police intervened to stop a boat that had been launched off the coast of the central city of Sfax at around 2:30 am (0130 GMT), said Tunisia’s National Guard spokesman Houssemeddine Jebabli.

He said passengers on the vessel had thrown Molotov cocktails at security forces before setting fire to the boat and attempting to flee.

Four Tunisians were arrested along with eight migrants from the Ivory Coast and two from Congo, he said, adding that one of them was hospitalised for burns without specifying which one.

A 15th passenger was found dead, and operations were underway to find any other bodies from the boat.

RISKY JOURNEY

A growing number of Tunisians are embarking on risky journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to seek work and a better life in Europe.

In the first half of 2018, nearly 2,660 people were arrested in Tunisia during attempts to make the crossing, Jebabli said, compared with just 564 over the same period the previous year.

Several deadly shipwrecks have taken place in recent months, including one on June 3 that killed 87 people.

Meanwhile, a judiciary official said that Tunisia has confiscated the passport of a man suspected of being a militant who once served as Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguard to prevent him returning to Germany.

Germany deported Sami Aidoudi last month but a German court on Wednesday demanded his return, saying he may face torture in his native Tunisia, a concern the North African country denies.

Tunisian authorities initially detained Aidoudi after Germany deported him last month. It released him after two weeks for lack of evidence but has barred him from leaving the country pending the outcome of an investigation.

“The investigation is ongoing... His passport has been confiscated by a court (in case he gets charged),” said Sofian Sliti, spokesman of Tunisia’s anti-terrorist judiciary body.

“If there was a request from German authorities (to Tunisia) to hand him over it should come via diplomatic channels,” he added, without elaborating.