Second arrest for human trafficking after migrants’ arrival

Police on Friday said they have arrested a second man, aged 28, on suspicion of assisting the entry of 26 irregular migrants into the Republic.

The arrest concerns the arrival of 18 men, two women and six children whose inflatable boat was intercepted off the Akamas peninsula around 1am on Thursday.

For the same case, police had arrested a 30-year-old man on Thursday afternoon, saying he was piloting the seven-metre boat when it was intercepted.

Further investigations showed the younger man was also piloting the boat during its course to the island, police said.

The two face charges related to human trafficking, aiding and abetting the illegal entry of non-EU nationals into the territory of the Republic.

The migrants, who police initially announced were 25 in total, were on Thursday transferred to the Kokkinotrimithia reception centre for asylum seekers.