Ankara - Turkish authorities detained 63 would-be immigrants after the captain of the ship they were on was injured by a passenger, officials said yesterday. The Turkish coast guard stopped a Georgiaflagged ship off north-west Turkey, an official at the Bozcaada island port said.
He said the Azeri captain had picked up the migrants near the Turkish resort of Kusadasi and intended to take them to Italy. After realising the ship was under surveillance, the captain told passengers he would not travel to Italy. One passenger shot him in the arm in an attempt to force him to continue the voyage.