Italy swoops on N. Africa migrant trafficking ring

Italian magistrates have issued arrest warrants for 29 North Africans in Italy involved in the trafficking of migrants, police said yesterday.

The group are believed to be members of a trafficking ring based in Egypt, Libya and the southern Italian region of Calabria who ferried thousands of illegal immigrants into Italy last year.

"The masterminds of the organisation, in Calabria and in Egypt, managed a steady inflow of migrants," the police said in a statement.

The focus of the investigation is the arrival of at least 25 boats packed more with than 3,000 African migrants who landed on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa last summer and autumn.

Lampedusa is one of the closest points in Europe to Africa and migrants often aim for the rugged island as a stepping off point to the European Union. But many die en route from starvation or their rickety boats fail to survive the journey.

Italy has a repatriation and border patrolling agreement with Libya to try to stem the flow.

Italian media reported that some of those under investigation in the case had possible links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda militant network, but a police official said there was no evidence to prove this.

"No concrete proof was found to connect those involved in illegal immigrant trafficking to Islamic extremists and the charges under consideration do not include international terrorism," said the official, who declined to be named.