Arrest of a Sudanese man in the UK after 4 people died while crossing the English Channel
London – Mashawir
British authorities said that police have arrested a Sudanese man on suspicion of endangering the lives of others, following the death of four migrants during an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom on a small boat earlier this week.
The UK’s National Crime Agency, which investigates organized crime, stated that the 27-year-old man was arrested on Friday in connection with the incident that occurred on Thursday off the coast of Saint-Étienne-au-Mont near Calais in northern France.
The agency added that the man was detained in Manston, in southern England, on suspicion of “endangering the lives of others during a sea journey to the UK,” under the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration law.
Authorities have not revealed his identity, and Reuters was unable to contact a representative for comment.
The agency reported that the four victims—two men and two women whose identities have not yet been disclosed—died while attempting to board a “taxi boat” increasingly used by smugglers to evade police.
It added that 38 people were returned to the French shore after the incident, while 74 migrants continued their journey to the UK.
The number of people crossing the English Channel to seek asylum in Britain has become a pressing issue for Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as it was for his predecessors.
