Italy frees Spanish ship that rescues migrants in Mediterranean

A Spanish aid group that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean has said that Italian authorities have released the organization’s ship after impounding it for taking 218 migrants to Italy. Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps said in a tweet Monday that the ship is free to leave the Sicilian port of Pozzallo. However, he says Italy is still investigating whether the group should face charges of criminal association and aiding illegal immigration, AP reports. The probe stems from a high-seas standoff last month between the Open Arms crew and the Libyan coastguard. The group refused to relinquish the migrants they had picked up in international waters and took them to Italy, where authorities are trying to stem migration.