An Italian fishing boat was seized by Libyan armed forces in the early hours of Friday some 30 miles from the Libyan coast, according to Giovanni Tumbiolo, the president of a Sicilian branch of fishing association COSVAP. The vessel had seven sailors aboard, three Italians from Sicily and four Tunisians. "The state of alarm has been at the maximum level since the Italian embassy (in Libya) was closed," said Tumbiolo, who added that he had contacted the Libyan agriculture and fisheries minister. "We are worried but at the same time hopeful, because the Libyan people have always been close to the Sicilians".
According to initial reports, one Libyan soldier boarded the boat, the Mazara del Vallo-based Airone, and it then headed to the port of Misrata.
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