THREE teenage migrants have been charged in Malta 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 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.
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.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech denied a bail request, noting that civilian witnesses had yet to give evidence, including the captain and crew, and that the accused had no ties in Malta or means of paying bail.
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