Barely four days after armed Libyan boats opened fire on the rescue vessel Sea-Watch 5 in the Mediterranean, the Italian public prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal investigation into the ship’s Dutch captain. The authorities suspect him of “facilitating illegal migration”, whilst the crew are still coming to terms with the shooting and hours of intimidation at sea. The case once again raises questions about the criminalisation of NGO rescue operations at Europe’s southern border.
The rescue ship arrived in the southern Italian port city of Brindisi at 11:00 am on Friday morning, 15 May 2026, with 166 rescued migrants on board. Lost in Europe was present at the ship’s arrival and observed how officers were still walking around the bridge and deck on Friday evening, whilst crew members of the Sea-Watch 5 were being questioned.
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