Migrant ship capture: Maltese armed forces take control of hijacked tanker

Malta's armed forces have taken control of a tanker that was allegedly seized by migrants off Libya on Wednesday.

The tanker, Elhiblu 1, has docked in the Maltese capital Valletta. More than 100 migrants on board are expected to be handed over to police.

The migrants had been rescued by the ship but reportedly hijacked it after being told they would be returned to Libya.

They are said to have told the captain to head north towards Europe instead.

In a statement, the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) said they had established communications with the captain of the ship when it was still heading towards Malta.

The captain said he was not in control of the vessel and that he and his crew were being forced and threatened by a number of migrants to sail to Malta.

A patrol vessel stopped the tanker from entering Maltese territorial waters, and a special operations unit team was dispatched to board and secure the vessel, the AFM said in a statement.

The team was backed up by several naval vessels and a helicopter.

The ship has now been handed over to the police for further investigations, the AFM said.

Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has said all international rules will be followed as police investigate the incident on the vessel.

It is not clear what will now happen to the migrants, but they've reached the destination they wanted, says the BBC's Southern Europe correspondent James Reynolds.