Spain judge shelves probe of migrants accused of ‘piracy’

A Spanish judge has shelved a probe of nine migrants accused of “piracy” for allegedly forcing the ship that rescued them to change course for Spain’s Canary Islands instead of Morocco, judicial sources said Friday.

They were among a group of 78 migrants who tried to cross from the African coast to the Canary Islands in two boats that got into trouble and were rescued on Monday by a Dutch tugboat.

But when they realised the boat was taking them to the port of Tan Tan in southern Morocco and not to the Spanish archipelago, they allegedly became aggressive towards the crew, pulling out knives, according to police and rescuers.

Following what rescuers called a “mutiny”, the tugboat changed course for Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, contacting the authorities to let them know what had happened.

The nine migrants, whose nationality was unclear, were then arrested by police “on piracy charges”, a police source told AFP.

But the judge handling the case decided to “shelve the investigation on the grounds that the facts are not sufficiently proven,” said a spokesman for the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands, without giving further details.

The Canary Islands have long been a draw for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, with many boats setting off from Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and even Senegal.

But the Atlantic route is particularly dangerous due to the strong currents, with migrants travelling in overloaded, often unseaworthy wooden boats without enough drinking water.