Police: Muslims pushed Christians overboard on migrant boat from Libya

Sicilian police have arrested 15 people, alleging that they threw 12 migrants overboard from a boat that left Libya on Tuesday.
In a statement, authorities said that Muslim migrants targeted Christians, and the suspects are accused of multiple homicide aggravated by religious hatred, The Associated Press reports. Survivors from Nigeria and Ghana who were rescued at sea told police Wednesday that they boarded a rubber boat with passengers from Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau. About 105 people were onboard, they said, and those thought to be Christian were threatened with being abandoned at sea. Eventually, a dozen were pushed into the water.
Flavio di Giacomo of the International Organization for Migration said that while fights do sometimes break out on boats filled with migrants, it's rare for people to be killed, and it's usually the result of a "battle for survival," he told The Guardian. The prosecutor has 48 hours to validate the arrests.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 3, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - measles on the rise, sage advice, and more
-
5 shellshocked cartoons about Trump's first 100 days
Cartoons Artists take on a wild ride, F.D.R., and more
-
Kashmir: on the brink of a 'catastrophic' war
Talking Point Relations between India and Pakistan are 'cratering' in the aftermath of a shocking terror attack in the disputed border region
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote
-
Hegseth's chief of staff joins Pentagon exodus
Speed Read Joe Kasper has stepped down, leaving the Defense Secretary 'increasingly isolated'