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Captain 'Forced' To Pilot Doomed Migrant Ship

Captain 'Forced' To Pilot Doomed Migrant Ship

A Tunisian man arrested after a boat sank off Libya, killing about 800 migrants, was forced to pilot the vessel at gunpoint, his brother has claimed.

The man, identified in an Italian court as 27-year-old Mohammed Ali Malek , was captaining the overloaded boat when it hit a Portuguese cargo ship and capsized on 18 April.

He is accused of multiple homicides, people smuggling and causing a shipwreck.

But Makrem Mahjoub said his brother, who he identified as Nourredine Mahjoub, was simply another migrant trying to reach Europe when he was pressed into helping the traffickers because he had previously been a fisherman.

"My brother was recruited by Libyans to work in a cafe in Libya a few weeks ago, but afterwards he was forced under threat by smugglers to pilot the voyage because he knows a little about the sea and worked with our father fishing," he told Reuters.

Mr Mahjoub added that his brother was "in shock and crying" when he called the family several after being threatened by men with Kalashnikovs.

He did not explain why his brother would have given a false name to authorities, but said he was deported from France some years ago.

"The ones who are responsible are the recruiters and the smugglers. But him, he is just another victim of lawless Libya," he said.

Only 28 people were rescued from the ship in Mediterranean, with hundreds of them believed to have locked up below decks.

The tragedy prompted European Union authorities to reassess their search and rescue operation for migrants trying to reach Europe.

The Royal Navy's HMS Bulwark set off to join the operation on Sunday after playing a role in the Gallipoli commemorations in Turkey.

The 19,000 tonne assault ship will be supported by two UK Border Force cutters and three Royal Navy Merlin helicopters with sophisticated radar.

It will also provide a floating refuelling platform for the Merlins - expected to be based in either Malta or Sicily - enabling them to extend the range of their patrols.

Meanwhile, Sky News has spoken to migrants in Italy who said they were able to dodge fingerprinting operations and will now be able to leave the country for elsewhere in the continent.

Under EU rules migrants have to apply for asylum in the first European country they enter. If they arrive in a different EU country they risk being sent back to Italy.