Hijackers Threatened to Scuttle Russian Freighter

The hijackers of the Russian-crewed freighter Arctic Sea planned to destroy it if their ransom demand was not met, Reuters reports. “The crew members have already confirmed that the captors demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the vessel,” says a Russian defense official. There was no comment on speculation that the ship—found Monday by Russia’s navy—was carrying something more sinister than lumber. (More Arctic Sea stories.)