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Alnour Mohamed Ali Charged Over Channel ‘Taxi Boat’ Deaths

Prosecutors are using a new UK border offense that targets those who endanger lives during sea crossings.

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A police officer stands guard after at least four people died while trying to board an inflatable boat for a dangerous sea crossing from northern France to the U.K. in Equihen-Plage, northern France. Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
GRAVELINES, FRANCE - APRIL 01: Migrants board a dinghy before attempting to sail into the English Channel on April 01, 2026 in Gravelines, France. Five migrants were pulled from the water at Gravelines this morning, two men in their 40s died and three needed medical treatment. The tragedy comes as negotiations between the UK and France to reach an agreement over the continuation of UK funding for French beach patrols has been extended. (Photo by Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The National Crime Agency charged 27-year-old Alnour Mohamed Ali on Saturday after Thursday’s failed pickup off Equihen-Plage left two men and two women dead.
  • Officials say strong currents swept the victims away as they tried to reach a moving dinghy that cruises the coast to collect people, a tactic smugglers call a “taxi boat.”
  • Ali was arrested at the Manston processing center on Friday under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act and is due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.
  • French prosecutors are leading the investigation into the launch and the four deaths, with the NCA assisting and interviewing survivors who completed the crossing.
  • Rescue teams brought 38 people back to France, while 74 continued to the UK, with some treated for hypothermia and two children taken to hospital as a precaution.