A boat carrying 75 migrants who are believed to be Somali was intercepted by Italian authorities near Sicily and its occupants were subsequently forcibly returned to Libya. This occurred while Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was in Libya to meet with Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi during Libya’s celebrations of the 40th anniversary of their revolution.
Prior to the Italian interception of the migrant boat, an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat removed four migrants and brought them to Malta for medical treatment. The migrant boat was initially discovered by a Frontex helicopter.