Sicily: fear of foreign actors prompts security request for wreck of luxury yacht
Italian authorities have confirmed a request for additional security around the wreck of the luxury yacht Bayesian, which sank in August killing seven, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after fears were raised that material in watertight safes onboard could be of interest to foreign governments.
Italian prosecutors fear that would-be thieves might try to reach the wreckage in order to loot expensive jewelry and other valuable objects onboard, including intelligence data, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.
The authorities are reportedly concerned that two super-encrypted hard drives in the sunken yacht’s watertight safes could fall into the wrong hands.
The vessel sank during a violent storm off the coast of Sicily on 19 August, claiming the lives of seven of the 22 passengers and crew onboard, including Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter.
Italian authorities confirmed to the cable news outlet that the hard drives could be of interest to foreign governments, including Russia and China, and they had requested that the vessel be guarded closely with surface and underwater surveillance.
