Security patrols at Al-Khums Security Directorate, about 135 kilometers east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, foiled an attempt to smuggle a number of illegal immigrants, and arrested 375 immigrants from Bangladesh while trying to migrate by sea to Europe.
The Libyan security statement confirmed that during the arrest of the migrants, the emergency police clashed with the members of the smuggling gang and exchanged fire with them, before they were caught, according to Libya 24 News.
All legal measures were taken against the detainees, and they were referred to the competent authorities.
The International Organization for Migration had announced the death of 114 illegal immigrants, and the loss of 436 others while trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to European shores from January 1 to last April 30, and the return of 4,461 migrants to Libya during the same period.. The organization recorded 2,048 deaths in 2021.
Devastated by a decade of conflict and chaos, Libya has become a major departure point for African and Asian migrants who are trying to reach Europe. Migrants often endure appalling conditions in Libya before heading north on overcrowded, unseaworthy “boats” that often sink or run into trouble.
