German ship captain Rackete questioned by Italian prosecutor over rescued migrants

German captain Carola Rackete was questioned by an Italian prosecutor on Thursday over allegedly aiding illegal immigration.

The captain of the ‘Sea-Watch 3’ was arrested on June 29 for entering Italy’s Lampedusa port despite a veto imposed by far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, and knocking a coastguard boat out of the way to land 40 migrants who were blocked at sea for over two weeks.

A judge overturned the arrest three days later, saying the 31-year-old had merely acted to save lives.

Rackete appeared at a court in the southern Sicilian town of Agrigento, AFP reported. The captain, who remains in the Sicilian port of Licata, is still the subject of two investigations – one for entering Italian waters despite a direct order to stop, and another for aiding illegal immigration.