Italian security authorities arrested 81 Egyptian irregular immigrants while boarding a boat near Calabria, in southern Italy.
Mohamed Abdel Hakam, assistant foreign minister for consular affairs and Egyptians abroad, said authorities in Rome agreed to deport them after the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and embassy intervened.
Embassy officials visited the Egyptians in detention and are currently working on completing deportation procedures, added Abdel Hakam. The immigrants are scheduled to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday.
Abdel Hakam emphasized the importance of strict punishment for illegal immigration transgressors.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
