Flotilla, activists in Rome. Anti-terrorism moves

The six activists of the Italian delegation of the Global Sumud Flotilla involved in the attack in the Libyan desert have returned to Italia. But their return does not end the affair. It shifts it to the field of investigative verifications. In fact, Italy's Anti-Terrorism Department is considering listening to them to reconstruct what happened in Libya, where the humanitarian caravan heading towards Gaza was blocked amidst detentions, military pressure and an attack in Sirte.

The mission left Mauritania in early May 2026. Around 300 activists from 28 countries, including 13 Italians, aimed to reach the Rafah crossing to deliver aid to the people of Gaza. The convoy, however, never made it to the border. The march stopped in Libya, in a picture that may now enter the assessments of Italian investigators.

According to what has been reconstructed so far, on Monday afternoon the Global Sumud Flotilla group was attacked by Libyan military forces while encamped in Sirte. The activists were awaiting the release of ten comrades detained the day before. Among those detained were two Italians: Domenico Centrione from Puglia and Leonarda Alberizia from Piedmont. The two were allegedly detained on charges of 'illegal entry' while trying to negotiate an advance on the convoy. They were later transferred to Benghazi, in the hands of Libyan militiamen affiliated to General Khalifa Haftar.

This is one of the most delicate points of the affair. Because it concerns Italian citizens held in Libyan territory and because it places the humanitarian mission in a context marked by military control, detentions and transfers.

The attention of the counter-terrorists may now focus on the Libyan phase of the mission. Investigators are considering listening to the six activists who returned to Italia to establish a precise chronology: when the attack took place, who intervened, how, where the group was and what contacts there were before and after the ten activists were detained.