Libya coastguard warns Italians against ‘illegal’ fishing

Tripoli: Libya’s coastguard on Sunday warned against "illegal" fishing in its waters, denying Italian claims it had wounded a fisherman as it fired shots during an operation against four boats from Sicily.

Citing "repeated, documented violations", the coastguard said that on Thursday morning it had "received reports that four Italian fishing vessels were heading from southern Italy" into Libyan waters.

The coastguard despatched a patrol to intercept and inspect the boats to ensure they were not carrying out "suspicious activities" or smuggling, it said. But instead of cooperating, the boats fled, it added, sparking a three-hour chase in which "warning shots were fired in the air".