A group of migrants have reportedly hijacked a merchant ship off Libya, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Wednesday.
He said the ship had been heading for Libya after rescuing the migrants but was now heading for Malta or Lampedusa.
"It would be the first act of piracy on the high seas, with migrants who have hijacked a ship that had reached 6 nautical miles off the Libyan coast," he said.
Salvini said there was no chance of the migrants being allowed to land in Italy.
"They should know that they will only see Italy with a telescope", he said.
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