Egypt's naval forces foiled late Saturday the illegal immigration attempt of 146 individuals crossing the Mediterranean Sea on a fishing boat, Egypt's army spokesman said in a statement.

Naval forces were suspicious of the boat and upon inspection found the immigrants.

All immigrants were arrested as well as seven crew members.

The illegal migrants were from Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Comoros, Somalia and Eritrea.

In recent years, thousands of refugees and migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean in search of better jobs and opportunities. Hundreds have been arrested in Egypt for attempting to migrate illegally.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in the first five months of 2016 a total of 1,815 Egyptian irregular migrants landed on Italian shores.