Seven Nigerian men held after special services stormed tanker bailed again

Seven Nigerian men detained after British special services stormed an oil tanker off the Isle of Wight have been re-bailed, police said.

Around 16 members of the Poole-based Special Boat Service (SBS) carried out the raid on October 25, backed by airborne snipers.

The intervention resulted in the securing of the Nave Andromeda tanker in around nine minutes.

It came amid reports stowaways had boarded the vessel and attempted to hijack it.

Hampshire Police announced on Friday that seven men detained following the operation last month have been re-bailed.

They remain detained under Border Force powers but have been re-bailed until January 25 in relation to the criminal investigation while investigators continue their inquiries.

The raid was authorised by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel after a tense 10-hour stand-off.

The 748ft (228m) Nave Andromeda had been heading towards Southampton, having set sail from Lagos in Nigeria.

The ship's operator, Navios Tanker Management, said the stowaways illegally boarded'' the Liberian-flagged tanker in Lagos.