A probe against Interior Minister
Matteo Salvini for allegedly kidnapping 177 Eritrean migrants
aboard the Diciotti coast guard ship will be a "boomerang",
Salvini said Monday.
An Agrigento prosecutor has placed Salvini under
investigation for kidnapping the migrants, who were allegedly
unlawfully held for five days at sea and then another five days
at Catania harbour.
Salvini said he was not "cowed" and that he would not ask the
Senate to refuse to lift his immunity from prosecution.
"I only did my job as minister and I'm ready to do it again,"
Salvini said.
Some 100 of the migrants will go to a Catholic centre at
Rocca di Papa near Rome, Pope Francis said.
Albania and Ireland will take about 20 each.
Three Egyptians and a Bangladeshi have been arrested on
charges of being the migrant traffickers.
The other deputy premier, Industry and Labour Minister Luigi
Di Maio, said in the next such case Italy "will negotiate
directly with individual States".
He said the government was defending Italy's interests.
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