Libya's coast guard intercepted about 300 migrants packed onto a wooden boat and returned them to Tripoli on Wednesday after warning off a ship that was preparing to pick them up for passage to Europe.
Footage filmed by Sea-Watch, a nongovernmental organization, showed a Libyan coast guard vessel coming within meters of its own ship as it sped to stop the migrants.
Tripoli coast guard spokesman Ayoub Qassem said the incident had occurred about 19 miles (30 km) north of Libya's coast.