VALLETTA, Malta — Three teenage migrants have been charged in a court in Malta with hijacking a small commercial oil tanker that had rescued them and others off the coast of Libya, an act that is considered a terrorist crime under Maltese law.

The tanker, El Hiblu 1, was hijacked in the Mediterranean this past week. The captain said that rescued migrants had begun to riot and threaten violence when they saw that the ship was returning them to Libya. According to the captain, they forced it to turn north toward Europe.

The suspects pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Valletta, the Maltese capital, on Saturday. One of the accused was identified by the court as Abdalla Bari, a 19-year-old from Guinea. The other two are a 15-year-old from Guinea and a 16-year-old from Ivory Coast, who could not be named because they were minors.</s>Teenage migrants charged in Malta in hijacking of ship

VALLETTA, Malta — Three teenage migrants were charged in Malta on Saturday with seizing control of a merchant ship and using force and intimidation against the crew, which is considered a terrorist crime under Maltese law.

One of the accused was identified during the arraignment in Valletta, the capital, as Abdalla Bari, a 19-year-old from Guinea. The other two are a 15-year-old from Guinea and a 16-year-old from Ivory Coast, who as minors could not be identified.

They are suspects in the hijacking in the Mediterranean last week of the El Hiblu 1 merchant oil tanker. The captain has said that migrants his crew had rescued began to riot and threaten violence when they saw the ship was returning them to Libya. They forced it to turn north toward Europe.

The suspects pleaded not guilty. Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech denied a bail request, noting that civilian witnesses had yet to testify, including the captain and crew, and that the accused had no ties in Malta or means of paying bond.

The minors told the court that they are secondary school students, while the 19-year-old said he had been studying sociology before leaving his country.

Under Maltese law, unlawfully seizing control of ship is punishable by a prison sentence of seven to 30 years.

The cargo ship was heading from Turkey to Libya when it was asked Tuesday to divert its course to rescue nearly 100 migrants in distress.

The hijacking was described by Italy’s hard-line interior minister as an act of piracy. Some aid groups, however, called it an act of self-defense against Europe’s immigration policies, which try to ship desperate migrants back to Libya, where they often face beatings, rape and torture in detention camps.

Stephen Calleja is an Associated Press writer.</s>3 migrants charged in Malta in hijacking of ship at sea

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Three teenage migrants have been charged in Malta with seizing control of a merchant ship and using force and intimidation, a crime considered a terrorist activity under Maltese law.

One of the accused was identified by the court during the arraignment Saturday as Abdalla Bari, a 19-year-old from Guinea. The other two are 15 and 16, and as minors could not be named. One is also from Guinea and the other from Ivory Coast.

They are suspects in the hijacking in the Mediterranean this week of the El Hiblu 1, an oil tanker. The captain has said that migrants that his crew had rescued began rioting and took control of his ship when they saw it was returning to Libya, forcing it to turn north toward Europe.</s>Three teenage migrants were charged in Malta Saturday with seizing control of a merchant ship and using force and intimidation against the crew, which is considered a terrorist crime under Maltese law.

One of the accused was identified by the court during the arraignment in Valletta, the capital, as Abdalla Bari, a 19-year-old from Guinea. The other two are a 15-year-old from Guinea and a 16-year-old from Ivory Coast, who as minors could not be named.

They are suspects in the hijacking in the Mediterranean this week of the El Hiblu 1 merchant oil tanker. The captain has said that migrants his crew had rescued began to riot and threaten violence when they saw the ship was returning them to Libya. They forced it to turn north toward Europe.

The suspects pleaded not guilty. Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech denied a bail request, noting that civilian witnesses had yet to testify, including the captain and crew, and that the accused had no ties in Malta or means of paying bond.

The minors told the court that they are secondary school students, while the 19-year-old said he had been studying sociology before leaving his country.

Under Maltese law, unlawfully seizing control of ship can be considered a terrorist activity and is punishable by anything between seven and 30 years in prison.

The cargo ship was heading from Turkey to Libya when it was asked Tuesday to divert its course to rescue nearly 100 migrants in distress, which it did, before continuing on its course. But when the migrants realized Wednesday they were headed back to lawless Libya, which they had just left, some revolted, commandeering the ship and forcing it to head to Europe.

The temporary hijacking was described by Italy's hard-line interior minister as an act of piracy. Some aid groups, however, called it an act of self-defence against Europe's immigration policies, which aim to ship back desperate migrants to Libya, where they often face beatings, rape and torture in detention camps.</s>Maltese authorities charged three young African migrants on Saturday with committing an act of terrorism for hijacking a vessel that rescued them off the coast of Libya.

The two teenagers from Guinea and one from Ivory Coast, aged 15, 16 and 19, are accused of forcing the Palau-flagged tanker Elhiblu I towards Malta after it picked up 108 migrants, including women and children, on Wednesday and headed towards its destination in Libya.

A Maltese special operations unit boarded the ship a day later, arrested five men suspected of leading the hijacking. They handed control back to the captain who steered the ship to Valletta under a navy escort.

The three migrants, who were charged at a Maltese court with seizing control of the ship through the use or threat of force and intimidation, pleaded not guilty and were placed in preventive detention pending trial.

They face prison terms of between seven and 30 years if convicted.

The ship's captain told Maltese media the hijackers "were desperate and absolutely did not want to return to Libya.

"Panic and confusion erupted when the migrants understood that we were going back," to a country where migrants face trafficking, kidnap, torture and rape according to the United Nations and aid groups.

Following Italy's increasingly tough anti-migrant stance, vessels that pick up migrants crossing the Mediterranean increasingly return them to Libya.

Boatloads of rescued migrants have in recent months refused to disembark there however, prompting local authorities to use force.</s>Three teenage migrants were charged in a Maltese court on Saturday with hijacking a small commercial tanker that had rescued them and others off the coast of Libya.

The three, who have pleaded not guilty, were among 108 Africans rescued by the El Hiblu 1 tanker this week. They are accused of threatening the crew on Wednesday to try to force the boat to go to Malta and not take them back to Libya.

Maltese soldiers boarded the tanker without incident and escorted it to the Valletta harbour on Thursday.

The defendants are 15, 16 and 19 – one of them from Ivory Coast and the other two from Guinea. They pulled the hoods of their jackets over their faces as the were escorted out of court by police on Saturday.

EU states have been at loggerheads over migration since a spike in Mediterranean arrivals caught the bloc by surprise in 2015, stretching social and security services and fuelling support for far-right, nationalist and populist groups.

Sea arrivals have fallen from more than a million in the peak year to some 140,000 people last year, according to U.N. data. But political tensions around migration run high in the EU, especially ahead of European Parliament election in May.</s>Three teenage migrants from Guinea and Ivory Coast were charged in a Maltese court on Saturday with terrorist activity after allegedly hijacking a merchant ship that saved them off the coast of Libya and forcing it to sail to the Mediterranean island.

Fears of such incidents have grown since the European Union introduced a policy aimed at shipping rescued migrants back to Libya, where they face mistreatment in detention camps.

The defendants, aged 15, 16 and 19, were arrested on Thursday on board the El Hiblu 1, a Palau-flagged tanker that had diverted from its course from Turkey to Libya after being asked to rescue nearly 100 migrants. The three are accused of having commandeered the vessel on Wednesday when they realized that it was headed to Libya.

Under Maltese law, hijacking a ship is considered an act of terrorism carrying a punishment of between seven years and life in prison.

Read more: Opinion: The EU is neglecting its humanitarian duty

The Times of Malta reported on Saturday that police had expressed doubts about the ship's hijacking as described by the captain. The newspaper said they believe he may have said he was not in control of his ship to gain permission to land in Malta, which has in the past, like some other European countries, refused ships carrying rescued migrants.

The case highlights the difficulties faced by merchant ships that fulfil the legal requirement to rescue anyone in distress at sea, including the growing risk of hijacks by desperate migrants.

Although UN data show sea arrivals falling from more than a million in 2015 to some 140,000 last year, migration remains a major political theme in the EU, particularly ahead of the European Parliament election in May.

The other rescued migrants, all from western Africa, are now at a reception center on Malta where their applications for asylum are being processed.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>VALLETTA, Malta (AP) - Three teenage migrants have been charged in Malta with seizing control of a merchant ship and using force and intimidation, a crime considered a terrorist activity under Maltese law.

One of the accused was identified by the court during the arraignment Saturday as Abdalla Bari, a 19-year-old from Guinea. The other two are 15 and 16, and as minors could not be named. One is also from Guinea and the other from Ivory Coast.

They are suspects in the hijacking in the Mediterranean this week of the El Hiblu 1, an oil tanker. The captain has said that migrants that his crew had rescued began rioting and took control of his ship when they saw it was returning to Libya, forcing it to turn north toward Europe.

Armed forces stand onboard the Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1, which was hijacked by migrants, in Valletta, Malta, Thursday March 28, 2019. A Maltese special operations team on Thursday boarded a tanker that had been hijacked by migrants rescued at sea, and returned control to the captain, before escorting it to a Maltese port. (AP Photo/Rene' Rossignaud)

Armed forces stand onboard the Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1, which was hijacked by migrants, in Valletta, Malta, Thursday March 28, 2019. A Maltese special operations team on Thursday boarded a tanker that had been hijacked by migrants rescued at sea, and returned control to the captain, before escorting it to a Maltese port. (AP Photo/Rene' Rossignaud)

Migrants are disembarked from Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1, which was hijacked by migrants, in Valletta, Malta, Thursday March 28, 2019. A Maltese special operations team on Thursday boarded a tanker that had been hijacked by migrants rescued at sea, and returned control to the captain, before escorting it to a Maltese port. (AP Photo/Rene' Rossignaud)

Armed forces stand onboard the Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1, which was hijacked by migrants, in Valletta, Malta, Thursday March 28, 2019. A Maltese special operations team on Thursday boarded a tanker that had been hijacked by migrants rescued at sea, and returned control to the captain, before escorting it to a Maltese port. (AP Photo/Rene' Rossignaud)

Armed forces stand onboard the Turkish oil tanker El Hiblu 1, which was hijacked by migrants, in Valletta, Malta, Thursday March 28, 2019. A Maltese special operations team on Thursday boarded a tanker that had been hijacked by migrants rescued at sea, and returned control to the captain, before escorting it to a Maltese port. (AP Photo/Rene' Rossignaud)</s>Maltese authorities have charged three young African migrants with committing an act of terrorism by hijacking a ship that rescued them off the coast of Libya on Saturday.

Two teenagers from Guinea and one from Ivory Coast, aged 15, 16 and 19, are accused of forcing the Palau-flagged tanker Elhiblu 1 towards Malta after it picked up 108 migrants, including women and children, on Wednesday and headed towards its destination in Libya.

A Maltese special operations unit boarded the ship a day later and arrested five men suspected of leading the hijacking.

They handed control back to the captain who steered the ship to Valletta under a navy escort.

The three migrants, who were charged at a Maltese court with seizing control of the ship through the use or threat of force and intimidation, pleaded not guilty and were placed in preventive detention pending trial.

They face prison terms of between seven and 30 years if convicted.

The ship's captain told Maltese media the hijackers 'were desperate and absolutely did not want to return to Libya.

'Panic and confusion erupted when the migrants understood that we were going back,' to a country where migrants face trafficking, kidnap, torture and rape according to the United Nations and aid groups.

Following Italy's increasingly tough anti-migrant stance, vessels that pick up migrants crossing the Mediterranean increasingly return them to Libya.

Boatloads of rescued migrants have in recent months refused to disembark there however, prompting local authorities to use force.

Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini had earlier said the ship, an 846-tonne tanker, had been bound for Libya after picking up the migrants but had been taken over and turned towards Europe.

Salvini, a hardliner who has repeatedly refused entry to Mediterranean migrants, claimed the ship with 108 migrants on board was heading for Malta or the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Both countries said El Hiblu 1 would not be allowed to enter their national waters.

'We received reports of a pirated ship heading towards Malta or Lampedusa (off Sicily) and we're monitoring the situation,' a Maltese coastguard spokesman told AFP.

Refusing to let the migrants into Italy, Salvini tweeted: 'They're not shipwrecked, they're pirates.

'They should know that they will only see Italy with a telescope.'

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that Salvini said: 'It would be the first act of piracy on the high seas, with migrants who have hijacked a ship that had reached six nautical miles [seven miles] off the Libyan coast.'

The agency reports that the migrants had realised they were returning towards Tripoli and had threatened the freighter's commander and crew.

The reported line echoes Salvini's language last year when he said migrants would only see the country 'on a postcard'.

The 46-year-old has spearheaded the migration crackdown since he became interior minister and deputy PM last year.

He has turned away rescue ships operated by foreign NGOs, such as the Aquarius, which was left stranded with 630 migrants last June after being refused entry to Italy.

Following Rome's increasingly tough anti-migrant stance, boats that pick up migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean increasingly return them to Libya.

Several boatloads of migrants rescued in recent months have refused to disembark in Libya, prompting the authorities there to use force.

Migrant arrivals from North Africa and the Middle East have been sharply reduced since a 2015 peak when Europe faced its worst migration crisis since World War II.

Salvini has accused the rescue missions of playing into the hands of people smugglers.

He was sworn in after striking a deal to form a government with the Five Star Movement, an agreement that brought Italy a populist government after three months of post-election deadlock.

On Monday Salvini vowed to 'change Europe' after his League party - which he transformed into a national force - won a regional election.

Spain's socialist PM Pedro Sanchez, who also came to power last year, has taken a more liberal approach.</s>They are suspects in the hijacking in the Mediterranean this week of the El Hiblu 1, an oil tanker. The captain has said that migrants whom his crew had rescued began rioting and took control of his ship when they saw it was returning to Libya, forcing it to turn north toward Europe.
Three teenage migrants who partook in the hijacking of Elhiblu 1 are charged in Malta.