Egyptian police authorities stopped two separate illegal migration attempts to Italy from the coastal province of Kafr al-Sheikh, security sources said.
A security source said four Egyptians from Gharbiya and Daqahlia were arrested and confessed to agreeing to pay a smuggler LE40,000 per person to help them get to Italy.
In a separate incident, seven people from Kafr al-Sheikh's village of Borg Megheizal, whose ages ranged between 17 and 55, were also arrested while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy. Security said they admitted striking a deal with two brokers to pay LE20,000 for each immigrant.
Prosecution services is investigating the incidents to identify the smugglers behind the two attempts.
In recent years a growing number of illegal migrants have attempted to reach Europe by boat, especially Egyptian youths hoping to find work abroad. In many instances, people have died attempting the crossing. Italian authorities frequently deport migrants after arresting them in Italian territorial waters.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
