Spanish warship releases 'Al Entisar' carrying German aid to Tripoli

Informed sources told MaltaToday that the Malta-based I-Go Libya Foundation ship 'El Entisar' was released and authorised to proceed by the Spanish navy that boarded the vessel some 50 miles off the Libyan coast.

The boat was boarded by a helicopter team of Spanish marines just fifteen minues after the El Entishar was 'cleared' at sea by the UK and French navy which are also patrolling the Southern Mediterranean as part of Nato's operations off Libya.

For the second time in a week however, the El Entisar was ordered to stop, change course and prepare for boarding by the Spanish navy. The order lead to a number of protests that were lodged with Madrid, even for the fact that the El Entisar was flying a German flag also to reflect the aid it was carrying as an official consignment of the German government to the Libyan people.

Spanish officers who boarded the El Entisar are said to have recieved angry phone calls on the boats satellite phone from a number of officials in Malta and in Berlin, and eventually left the boat, promising that they will not stop or board it again. It was the second time in a week that the Spanish navy stopped the same boat.

The Al Entisar has been ferrying aid to Libya since the beginning of the revolution, offering a vital life line to the Libyan people, 

Before the ship set sail from Valletta yesterday, the German Ambassador to Malta was aboard the Al Entisar and thanked the Maltese government and other citizens for their immediate support to help the German government ferry the aid to Libya.