Fifteen men were arrested in Sicily overnight on suspicion of links with terrorism and illegal migration, Italian media report.
The 15 are to be charged with instigating terrorism and association with illegal migration. The organisation, Italian media report, charged €2,500 for the transfer of migrants from Tunisian borders to Trapani on fast dinghies.
Palermo’s public prosecutor deemed the organisation as a threat to national security because it officer safe maritime passage to people who were sought after by Tunisian police authorities or who are suspected to have terrorist links.
The organisation also smuggled tobacco with the assistance of Sicilian accomplices. The operation financed the purchase of fast dinghies which were used to transfer people from north Africa to Europe.