ROME: Italian police said Monday they had arrested 13 suspected members of a smuggling ring transporting migrants from the Middle East and South Asia into Italy and onto France.
The suspects, from Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, were picked up in several Italian cities including Bologna, Rome and Milan on Sunday, prosecutors in Catanzaro in the southern region of Calabria said.
They are accused of criminal association and money laundering.
Investigators had gathered evidence of a “criminal organization rooted in Turkiye and Iraq, with branches in Italy, France and Greece, dedicated to managing the sea transport of irregular migrants,” prosecutors said in a statement.
These migrants came from countries including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Lebanon, and were brought onto the coasts of Calabria.
The organization had a network of compatriots who housed the arrivals in the Crotone area and bought train or bus tickets to the Italian border with France, where smugglers helped them pass via the Ventimiglia area.
Three commercial premises in Ventimiglia, Rome and Milan were also seized during the operation, the suspected locations of illegal money transfers using the “hawala” system, an informal method of payment based on trust that is far more difficult to trace than bank transfers.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has made clamping down on irregular migration a priority, hailed the arrests, saying her government was “determined to dismantle these criminal networks and to eradicate illegal human trafficking.”
Italy arrests 13 Pakistani, Afghan and Iraqi suspects in ‘people trafficking ring’
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Italy arrests 13 Pakistani, Afghan and Iraqi suspects in ‘people trafficking ring’
- The suspects were picked up in several Italian cities including Bologna, Rome and Milan on Sunday
- Investigators uncovered a ‘criminal organization rooted in Turkiye and Iraq,” with branches elsewhere
Pakistan marks Peshawar school attack anniversary with renewed vow against terrorism
- President recalls children killed in 2014 school massacre in Peshawar
- Attack remains one of the deadliest assaults on students globally
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday marked the 11th anniversary of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) terror attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar, with President Asif Ali Zardari reaffirming the country’s commitment to defeating terrorism and honoring the victims of one of the deadliest school massacres in modern history.
On December 16, 2014, gunmen affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) stormed the APS campus in Peshawar, killing more than 150 people, including over 130 children, in an hours-long siege that shocked the country and drew international condemnation. The attack targeted students and staff and remains a defining moment in Pakistan’s fight against militancy.
The massacre prompted a nationwide crackdown on extremist groups, leading to the launch of major military operations and a series of counterterrorism measures, including the National Action Plan, aimed at dismantling militant networks and curbing violent extremism. While militant violence declined in subsequent years, Pakistan has seen a renewed surge in attacks since 2022, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
“Today we remember the innocent children and staff of the Army Public School whose lives were taken in the brutal terrorist attack on 16 December 2014,” President Zardari said in a message issued on the anniversary. “Their sacrifice remains a solemn reminder of the heavy price our nation has paid in the fight against terrorism.”
He said Pakistan’s resolve against militancy remained unwavering, stressing that there could be “no soft corner for terrorists or those who support, finance, shelter or justify them,” and that there would be no negotiations with those who take up arms against the state or target civilians.
The president also condemned what he described as ongoing Indian-sponsored militancy in Pakistan, saying Islamabad would continue to expose hostile activities and defend its people, an allegation New Delhi has consistently denied.
Zardari paid tribute to the country’s security forces, law enforcement agencies and intelligence services, saying their efforts had prevented many attacks and would continue until all perpetrators and facilitators were brought to justice.
“The memory of the APS martyrs strengthens our resolve,” he said. “Pakistan will never allow the enemies of peace to succeed.”
The APS attack remains one of the world’s deadliest assaults on students and continues to shape Pakistan’s domestic security policies and public discourse on counterterrorism, education safety and extremism.
