According to the Italian police, some of the members of the group were in contact with suspected Islamists and supporters of Somali militant group al-Shabaab that at one time pledged alliance to al-Qaeda terrorist group, outlawed in Russia.
The arrests were made based on suspicious money transactions from the families of migrants to the people responsible for the transportation scheme.
The police are also looking into alleged cooperation of an official in the commune of Bari, who may have been bribed to deliver falsified residence permits to the newly arrived migrants.
Al-Shabaab is considered a terrorist organization by a number of countries around the world, including the United States.
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