Somali pirates

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He Said He Needed Toilet Paper. It Was a Ruse to Escape

Michael Scott Moore's attempt to flee Somali pirates didn't work

(Newser) - He said he needed to use the bathroom, and that he had toilet paper downstairs—he just needed permission to get it. There was some verbal tussling, but then Michael Scott Moore was given the OK to retrieve it. It was all a ruse, and the downstairs location he headed...

Captain of Hijacked Ship Feels Like He Was 'Dead and Born'

Somali pirates free 1st vessel seized since 2012

(Newser) - The captain of the crew of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that was hijacked and then released by Somali pirates said he feels like he was "dead and born" after the ship reached a port in northern Somalia. Nicholas Anthony said Sunday he's grateful for efforts by the semiautonomous...

Somali Pirates Strike Again
Somali Pirates Strike Again
Mar 14, 2017 6:03 AM CDT

Somali Pirates Strike Again

They've reportedly hijacked first commercial ship since 2012

(Newser) - Somali pirates have reportedly hijacked an oil tanker, marking the first such taking of a commercial ship since 2012. The Aris 13 reported being followed by two skiffs—including one carrying armed men—while carrying fuel from Djibouti to Mogadishu on Sunday, a rep for Oceans Beyond Piracy tells Fox...

Sailors Had to Eat Rats During 4 Years as Pirate Hostages

26 freed men are believed to be pirates' last captives

(Newser) - Some 26 "forgotten hostages" held by Somali pirates for years after the piracy crisis faded from the headlines are finally free. The captives, fishermen from Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines, were freed Saturday with the help of the Hostage Support Partners group, which negotiated with tribal...

Pirates Free American Held for 2 Years

Journalist Michael Scott Moore was kidnapped while researching piracy

(Newser) - A 45-year-old journalist who was kidnapped by Somali pirates more than two years ago has been freed, according to his family and a Somali official cited by CNN . Michael Scott Moore, who holds both US and German citizenship and was in Somalia researching a book on piracy, is said by...

Court's Question: Is a Negotiator a Pirate?

Judge says US prosecutors 'overreaching' in seeking life sentence

(Newser) - Ali Mohamed Ali wasn't involved in the hijacking of a Danish ship, but the pirates in question called on him to help negotiate a $1.7 million ransom; they asked because he speaks English, his lawyers say. Now, he's facing a mandatory life sentence after US prosecutors charged...

Secret Weapon Vs. Somali Pirates: Britney Spears

Apparently this is an actual thing

(Newser) - Anyone who's had "...Baby One More Time" stuck in their head for any amount of time will surely understand this tactic: The merchant navy is blasting Britney Spears music to fend off Somali pirates. An officer tells the Mirror that Spears' hits, especially the aforementioned song and "...

Surprising Sting Leads to Somali Pirate Chief Arrest

Believed he was flying to Belgium to make a movie about his life

(Newser) - The kingpin of one of Somalia's most successful pirate gangs has been arrested, after undercover Belgian agents pulled the old "you should fly to Europe so we can make a movie about your life" trick. Mohamed Abdi Hassan—also known as "Afweyne" and "Big Mouth"—...

Another Oscar for Hanks? Captain Phillips a Winner

Most critics love the true-life story of a Somali pirate attack

(Newser) - Tom Hanks is getting raves for his title role in Captain Phillips, which tells the true 2009 story of a US ship taken captive by Somali pirates. Critics think director Paul Greengrass has a winner on his hands.
  • The movie "shakes you up first with its style and then
...

Aargh. The End of Somalia's Pirate Days?

Pirates "live like refugees" due to global military efforts

(Newser) - It's been anything but smooth sailing for Somali pirates lately, as the heady days of hijacking and plunder dry up at the hands of international military efforts and simple on-board security enhancements, reports the AP . The flow of whiskey has ebbed and the hookers have gone home in villages...

Pirates Demand Ransom ... on Personalized Letterhead

And they're fairly polite about it

(Newser) - Passengers on boats hijacked off the African coast could find themselves presented with a formal welcome letter from the pirates boarding their ship, Reuters reports, in an offbeat look at their latest tactics. African pirates take their business quite seriously, to the point where they have their own letterhead. Reuters...

US Issues Global Security Alert

New report advises caution just about everywhere

(Newser) - The US has issued a fresh version of its worldwide safety caution to citizens abroad, making it clear that it's a pretty dangerous world out there. Terrorists are planning attacks "in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East," the statement warns, listing possible targets...

Argh! Sea Piracy Plunges 54%
 Aargh! Sea Piracy Plunges 54% 
Jul 16, 2012 3:49 AM CDT

Aargh! Sea Piracy Plunges 54%

Patrols off Somalia credited with dramatic drop

(Newser) - Sea piracy worldwide fell by 54% in the first half of 2012, led by a dramatic drop in Somali piracy, according to an international maritime watchdog. The International Maritime Bureau attributed the sharp drop to "pre-emptive and disruptive counter piracy tactics" by international navies patrolling in seas off Somalia...

EU Strikes Somali Pirates
 EU Strikes Somali Pirates 
May 15, 2012 7:10 AM CDT

EU Strikes Somali Pirates

First mainland raid a success

(Newser) - The European Union launched its first raid on mainland Somali pirate bases overnight, destroying five of their boats using warships and helicopters. The naval attack was the first under an expanded Operation Atalanta, which gave the EU power to attack both land and sea targets. Last night’s attack focused...

American Travel Writer Kidnapped in Somalia

Michael Scott Moore was considering writing a book about Somali pirates

(Newser) - Somali gunmen have kidnapped noted travel and surfing writer Michael Scott Moore, and are demanding an unknown ransom for his release. Moore, a Manhattan Beach native currently living in Berlin, holds both US and German citizenship. He was in Somalia because he was considering writing a book about Somali pirates,...

Rescued Aid Worker Loved Africa

Details emerging on Jessica Buchanan, saved in Navy SEAL raid

(Newser) - Jessica Buchanan, the American aid worker rescued in a Navy SEAL overnight raid , first came to Africa as a student teacher in Nairobi. "That experience just planted in her a love and passion for Africa," says the president of the Pennsylvania Christian college from which Buchanan graduated in...

Obama Learned of SEALs' Success Before SOTU

President had ordered Jessica Buchanan's rescue Monday night

(Newser) - If President Obama was smiling last night, it's partly because just hours before the State of the Union he'd taken a phone call telling him that the Navy SEALs rescue of Jessica Buchanan and a companion had been a success, Politico reports. Some 15 minutes after the speech—...

SEALs Raid Frees Yank, Dane in Somalia

Nine pirates reportedly killed as aid workers rescued by same team who killed bin Laden

(Newser) - Navy SEALs, reportedly the same team that took out Osama bin Laden, launched a daring helicopter raid early today in Somalia, freeing an American and a Danish aid worker held by kidnappers since October , reports MSNBC . Helicopters landed just outside the pirates' camp in the pre-dawn hours, entering the camp...

US, Danish Aid Workers Kidnapped in Somalia

Demining workers seized by pirates

(Newser) - Three aid workers who were helping to remove land mines in northern Somalia have been kidnapped by gunmen who attacked their convoy. The three—a 32-year-old American woman, a 60-year-old Danish man, and a Somali colleague—were seized on their way to an airport and security officials believe they are...

Somali Gunmen Kidnap Wheelchair-Bound Tourist

Attackers may be in standoff at sea

(Newser) - Echoing other recent assaults by Somali gunmen, a gang of Somalis kidnapped a wheelchair-bound French tourist today from her bungalow in Kenya. The attackers slipped into one of East Africa's fanciest tourist areas by boat at around 3am, burst into her bungalow on Manda Island and dragged her away...

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