Italian special forces stormed a cargo ship after 15 “illegal migrants” armed with knives attempted to hijack a ship and take its crew hostage.

Pictures from the raid showed heavily armed commandos dropping onto the ship from helicopters before moving across the deck with their guns raised.

“The stowaways were using what seem to be weapons like daggers” to threaten the crew, said Guido Crosetto, Italy’s defence minister.

The armed gang was from mainly Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, The Guardian reported. According to Mr Crosetto they were illegal migrants.

The 13 men and two women had snuck onto the Galatea Seaways ship in an attempt to reach Europe. The ship had left Sete in France on June 7, bound for Yalova in Turkey.

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