A ship crewed by far-Right activists intending to highlight the threat of people-smuggling in the Mediterranean was detained in northern Cyprus on Thursday amid allegations that some of its Sri Lankan crew had paid smugglers to help them escape to Europe.

The allegations, which were strongly denied by the Defend Europe group which chartered the C-Star vessel, were the subject of a court hearing in Northern Cyprus on Thursday after five of the Sri Lankan crew claimed political asylum on the island.

The row, which was picked up liberal NGOs hostile to the Defend Europe project, saw the C-star’s captain and his deputy being arrested and detained on suspicion of forging documents after it was alleged that some of the Sri Lankan crew were travelling on false papers.