http://www.thelocal.se/20140701/police-hunt-lampedusa-gang-member-in-sweden
Police hunt Lampedusa suspect in Sweden
Published: 01 Jul 2014 14:27 GMT+02:00
Updated: 01 Jul 2014 14:27 GMT+02:00
A gang member involved in the Lampedusa migrant boat shipwreck is thought
to be on the run in Sweden, with police reportedly on his heels after
multiple other arrests on Tuesday.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the migrant boat
shipwreck on October 3rd, after 366 migrants died when the overcrowded boat
sank. Italian police are still looking for a few others, including one man
thought to be in Sweden, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
The man, along with the rest of the gang, is accused of not only planning
the dangerous journeys but also of abusing migrants. Survivors of the
October shipwreck have testified to rape and torture at the hands of the
people-smugglers.
The group is thought by the anti-mafia authority (DDA) in Palermo to be
part of a transnational criminal organization trafficking people across the
Mediterranean, The Local Italy reported. The gang members are from Sudan,
Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
Police were able to piece together the workings of the gang thanks to
numerous searches in which they seized cash and money transfer documents.
Sweden's national police force were unable to confirm or deny the report
when contacted by The Local on Tuesday afternoon.
Received on Tue Jul 01 2014 - 11:20:49 EDT