Spring Break
Pirates say they celebrated Muslim holiday on ship
The Associated Press
Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: News
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali pirates said Tuesday they celebrated a Muslim holiday aboard a hijacked freighter and denied reports that three comrades were killed in a shootout on the vessel, which is being closely watched by a half-dozen U.S. warships.
The hijacking of the MV Faina - laden with 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, rifles and heavy weapons that U.S. defense officials have said included rocket launchers - was the highest-profile act of piracy in the dangerous waters this year.
The U.S. Navy has said it wants to keep the arms out of the hands of militants linked to al-Qaida in impoverished Somalia, a key battleground in the war on terrorism.
The pirates are demanding $20 million in ransom for the ship, which they boarded Thursday in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast. There was a crew of 21 Russians and Ukrainians aboard, but the captain later died. U.S. officials said 40-50 pirates were involved, but only about 30 were on the ship itself.
A Kenyan maritime official cited an unconfirmed report that three of the pirates were killed Monday night in a dispute over whether to surrender.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk on the record, a U.S. official in Washington said he believed that report was true. But the Pentagon had not confirmed the report by late Tuesday.
A spokesman for the pirates said the shootout report was false.
"We are happy on the ship, and we are celebrating" Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, spokesman Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite telephone. "Nothing has changed." "We didn't dispute over a single thing, let alone have a shootout," Ali said.
Attempts to contact him later Tuesday failed. A man answering his phone said Ali was "very tired" and was asleep.
The vessel, anchored off the central Somali town of Hobyo, is surrounded by U.S. warships and helicopters. Moscow has dispatched a warship to the scene to protect the lives of the Russians aboard the captive vessel.
Piracy is a lucrative criminal racket in the region, bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year.
There have been 24 reported attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said officials are working on securing the region's waterways but he gave no details.
The hijacking of the MV Faina - laden with 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, rifles and heavy weapons that U.S. defense officials have said included rocket launchers - was the highest-profile act of piracy in the dangerous waters this year.
The U.S. Navy has said it wants to keep the arms out of the hands of militants linked to al-Qaida in impoverished Somalia, a key battleground in the war on terrorism.
The pirates are demanding $20 million in ransom for the ship, which they boarded Thursday in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast. There was a crew of 21 Russians and Ukrainians aboard, but the captain later died. U.S. officials said 40-50 pirates were involved, but only about 30 were on the ship itself.
A Kenyan maritime official cited an unconfirmed report that three of the pirates were killed Monday night in a dispute over whether to surrender.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk on the record, a U.S. official in Washington said he believed that report was true. But the Pentagon had not confirmed the report by late Tuesday.
A spokesman for the pirates said the shootout report was false.
"We are happy on the ship, and we are celebrating" Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, spokesman Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite telephone. "Nothing has changed." "We didn't dispute over a single thing, let alone have a shootout," Ali said.
Attempts to contact him later Tuesday failed. A man answering his phone said Ali was "very tired" and was asleep.
The vessel, anchored off the central Somali town of Hobyo, is surrounded by U.S. warships and helicopters. Moscow has dispatched a warship to the scene to protect the lives of the Russians aboard the captive vessel.
Piracy is a lucrative criminal racket in the region, bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year.
There have been 24 reported attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said officials are working on securing the region's waterways but he gave no details.
Be the first to comment on this story