LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Thursday it had arrested an Egyptian man suspected of coordinating the smuggling of thousands of people across the Mediterranean from north Africa to Italy. The NCA said it believed the 40-year-old man, detained in London on Wednesday, was working with people smuggling networks in north Africa to organise boats for migrants and then communicating with criminal associates during the crossings. "We suspect this man has been running his operation from the UK, and masterminding the smuggling of thousands of migrants," Darren Barr, Senior Investigating Officer at the NCA, said in a statement. "The type of boats organised crime groups use for crossings are death traps ... We will continue to share intelligence and take action with partners to prevent crossings and arrest people smugglers here and overseas." Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Michael HoldenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 22, 2023 16:35 UTC