Two Italian marines suspected of murdering two Indian fishermen they mistook for pirates set off back for India today after a court-granted Christmas leave at home with their families. The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who are awaiting trial in India and are also under investigation in Italy, were questioned by prosecutors in Rome for five hours before boarding a special military flight from Ciampino airport bound for the Indian state of Kerala. Indian prosecutors had voiced fears that the men would not return from their leave in Italy. The flight is expected to land in India early on Friday. “They are keeping their word and will return to India with the hope that the case will be over quickly,” Girone’s wife, Vania, said earlier. The marines allegedly shot the fishermen off India’s southwestern coast near Kochi in February 2012 when the men’s fishing boat came close to the Italian oil tanker they were guarding. An Indian court on December 20 granted them a special leave for the holiday, saying the pair had to pledge a bank guarantee for 60 million rupees (USD 1.1 million) and return to Kochi on or before January 10. Rome has repeatedly called the case against the two men illegal and has appealed to India’s Supreme Court to quash it. Italy insists the marines should be prosecuted in their home country because the shootings involved an Italian-flagged vessel in international waters, but India says the incident took place in waters under its jurisdiction. Armed guards are increasingly deployed on cargo ships and tankers in the Indian Ocean to tackle the threat posed by Somali pirates, who often hold ships and crews hostage for months demanding multi-million-dollar ransoms.
