KUALA LUMPUR: The Sumud Nusantara Control Centre (SNCC) has confirmed that the vessel Tam Tam, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 mission, was not intercepted but was damaged by the Israeli regime, with all activists on board reported safe as of 7pm.
SNCC director-general Datuk Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby said this brings the number of vessels intercepted to 21, when the flotilla was about 80 nautical miles from Greek waters.
He said another 30 vessels were not detained and continued their journey towards Greek waters.
"SNCC confirms that Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek, members of the GSF Steering Committee, were among those intercepted in what appears to be an act of intimidation aimed at disrupting the mission,” he said in a statement on SNCC’s official Facebook page.
SNCC also said 175 activists were taken to Israel aboard Israeli vessels, including 10 Malaysians.
It added that Ahmad Faezal, a social media influencer and geopolitical analyst, withdrew from the mission in Sicily, Italy, due to a high fever and has since returned safely to Malaysia.
Sani Araby said he had contacted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who expressed full support in facilitating efforts to bring Malaysians home and condemned the actions as a violation of international maritime law.
"The Prime Minister will engage with counterparts in Europe, Turkiye and the region to ensure the safety of Malaysians and secure their release as soon as possible,” he said.
Earlier, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the Tam Tam had re-established contact as of 7pm after losing communication for more than 10 hours.- Bernama
