London: British police announced on Thursday that they had detained an Egyptian man suspected of planning the smuggling of thousands of people aboard "death traps" from North Africa into Italy.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) reported that the 40-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday in west London, close to Heathrow Airport, following an investigation involving Italian police.
The detention follows the detention of nine Egyptians in Greece earlier this week in connection with the sinking of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean that killed at least 82 people and may have killed hundreds more.
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The NCA claimed that the man in London was associated with several recent unauthorised Mediterranean crossings, including those from Libya, and that he was operating from a UK base with criminal associates.
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According to the UK agency, three of the crossings required the Italian coast guard to save passengers from sinking vessels, each of which was carrying more than 600 people.
According to senior NCA officer Darren Barr, the boats that organised crime groups use to cross the Mediterranean are death traps. Tragically, many people have perished as a result of incidents in the Mediterranean.
To stop crossings and apprehend people smugglers locally and internationally, he promised, "We will continue to share intelligence and take action with partners."
