Spanish capture 'Somali pirates'
Spanish forces have arrested nine Somalis suspected of being the pirates who attacked an Italian cruise ship.
A warship intercepted a skiff carrying the nine Somali suspects, the Spanish defence ministry said.
The nine were captured near the Seychelles and handed over to authorities there, officials said.
The Italian cruise ship, the Melody, was attacked by a group of pirates in a speedboat in the area on Saturday. No-one was hurt in the incident.
The ship's crew and security men repulsed the attack by firing into the air and spraying the gunmen with water.
About 1,500 people were on the vessel.
Search launched
After the hijacking attempt, a search was launched for the pirates by the Spanish frigate Numancia, along with patrol planes from the Seychelles and France and an Indian navy ship.
Spanish officials said that during the search they found two small boats with nine suspects on board close to the scene of the attack.
The suspects abandoned one of the boats and were later caught in the skiff.
The Numancia "intercepted a skiff with nine occupants who could be connected to the hijacking attempt of the Italian cruise ship which was eventually repelled by the boat," the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency.
The nine are the latest suspected pirates to be arrested by international forces operating off the coast of Somalia.
France has charged three people with hijacking and false imprisonment after a rescue operation involving a yacht in the Indian Ocean on 10 April.
A Somali teenager is also facing trial in the US after being captured during the rescue of a ship's captain off the coast of Somalia earlier this month.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Russian warship has seized a pirate vessel with 29 people on board off the Somali coast, Russian news reports say.
A Russian warship has seized a pirate vessel with 29 people on board off the Somali coast, Russian news reports say.
Guns and navigation equipment were found during a search of the pirate boat, officials were quoted as saying.
They said the suspected pirates were thought to have launched two unsuccessful attacks against a tanker with a Russian crew.
Russia is one of the countries that has deployed naval ships against pirates operating in the area.
See map of how piracy is affecting the region and countries around the world
Navies from Nato, the EU, Japan, China, India, Yemen, US Malaysia and Singapore have also been patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
However, the number of attacks has continued to rise.
Somali pirates have hijacked 25 vessels since the beginning of this year and are holding more than 260 crew around the stronghold of Eyl in northern Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Naval patrols have captured pirates on a number of occasions.
Some have been put on trial in Kenya, while France has charged three suspected pirates and a Somali teenager is facing trial in the US.
Earlier on Tuesday, regional leaders in Somalia's northern Puntland region told the BBC they have put together a militia of fishermen to catch pirates.
Twelve armed pirates in two boats have been captured by the vigilante groups, they said.
Guns and navigation equipment were found during a search of the pirate boat, officials were quoted as saying.
They said the suspected pirates were thought to have launched two unsuccessful attacks against a tanker with a Russian crew.
Russia is one of the countries that has deployed naval ships against pirates operating in the area.
See map of how piracy is affecting the region and countries around the world
Navies from Nato, the EU, Japan, China, India, Yemen, US Malaysia and Singapore have also been patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
However, the number of attacks has continued to rise.
Somali pirates have hijacked 25 vessels since the beginning of this year and are holding more than 260 crew around the stronghold of Eyl in northern Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Naval patrols have captured pirates on a number of occasions.
Some have been put on trial in Kenya, while France has charged three suspected pirates and a Somali teenager is facing trial in the US.
Earlier on Tuesday, regional leaders in Somalia's northern Puntland region told the BBC they have put together a militia of fishermen to catch pirates.
Twelve armed pirates in two boats have been captured by the vigilante groups, they said.
Somali pirates could face the death penalty under recent get-tough measures
Somali vigilantes capture pirates
Somali vigilantes have captured 12 armed pirates in two boats, as coastal communities begin to fight back against the sea raiders.
Regional leaders at Alula and Bargaal in Somalia's northern Puntland region told the BBC they have put together a militia of fishermen to catch pirates.
They decided to act as they were fed up with their fishing vessels being seized at gunpoint by the ocean-going bandits.
Meanwhile, the Seychelles said it had arrested nine suspected pirates.
The men were intercepted by a Spanish frigate near the Indian Ocean archipelago on Monday.
They are accused of firing on Saturday at the Italian cruise ship the Melody - which had more than 1,500 passengers - in an attack repelled by Israeli security guards.
"They are now in detention in a prison cell of the Seychelles police force and are expected to be charged and tried in the islands," Seychellois President James Michel's office said in a statement on Tuesday, reported AFP news agency.
See map of how piracy is affecting the region and countries around the world
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8022820.stm
Somali pirates have hijacked 25 vessels since the beginning of this year and are holding more than 260 crew around the stronghold of Eyl in Puntland, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
They decided to confront... the problems of the sea piracy
Traditional leader Faarah Mohammed
Piracy symptom of bigger problem
Now frustrated regional leaders have taken the law into their own hands.
One of them, Faarah Mohammed, told the BBC: "There is a security committee set up by the communities who live in Bargaal and Alula.
"And they decided to confront whatever was creating problems in their areas and particularly, the problems of the sea piracy.
"And eventually their effort led to the capture of three boats and 12 men with their weapons. One boat got away."
The BBC's Somali Service says the militia will have to hand the pirates over to the local authorities.
Somali pirates could face the death penalty under recent get-tough measures announced by the internationally recognised but unsteady Somali government.
Navies from Nato, the EU, Russia, Japan, China, India, Yemen, US Malaysia and Singapore have been patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden in an effort to deter the gangs.
But some regional leaders say the foreign navies are protecting foreign fishing boats and allowing them to continue scooping up the fish-stocks that once provided Somalis with their livelihoods.
The lucrative lobster trade with Dubai is said to have collapsed after the foreign boats' giant trawler nets damaged the fragile coral that is the crustaceans' habitat.
As a result some fishermen decided to become pirates, but it appears that the local communities are now turning against these activities, says BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut.
Somali vigilantes have captured 12 armed pirates in two boats, as coastal communities begin to fight back against the sea raiders.
Regional leaders at Alula and Bargaal in Somalia's northern Puntland region told the BBC they have put together a militia of fishermen to catch pirates.
They decided to act as they were fed up with their fishing vessels being seized at gunpoint by the ocean-going bandits.
Meanwhile, the Seychelles said it had arrested nine suspected pirates.
The men were intercepted by a Spanish frigate near the Indian Ocean archipelago on Monday.
They are accused of firing on Saturday at the Italian cruise ship the Melody - which had more than 1,500 passengers - in an attack repelled by Israeli security guards.
"They are now in detention in a prison cell of the Seychelles police force and are expected to be charged and tried in the islands," Seychellois President James Michel's office said in a statement on Tuesday, reported AFP news agency.
See map of how piracy is affecting the region and countries around the world
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8022820.stm
Somali pirates have hijacked 25 vessels since the beginning of this year and are holding more than 260 crew around the stronghold of Eyl in Puntland, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
They decided to confront... the problems of the sea piracy
Traditional leader Faarah Mohammed
Piracy symptom of bigger problem
Now frustrated regional leaders have taken the law into their own hands.
One of them, Faarah Mohammed, told the BBC: "There is a security committee set up by the communities who live in Bargaal and Alula.
"And they decided to confront whatever was creating problems in their areas and particularly, the problems of the sea piracy.
"And eventually their effort led to the capture of three boats and 12 men with their weapons. One boat got away."
The BBC's Somali Service says the militia will have to hand the pirates over to the local authorities.
Somali pirates could face the death penalty under recent get-tough measures announced by the internationally recognised but unsteady Somali government.
Navies from Nato, the EU, Russia, Japan, China, India, Yemen, US Malaysia and Singapore have been patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden in an effort to deter the gangs.
But some regional leaders say the foreign navies are protecting foreign fishing boats and allowing them to continue scooping up the fish-stocks that once provided Somalis with their livelihoods.
The lucrative lobster trade with Dubai is said to have collapsed after the foreign boats' giant trawler nets damaged the fragile coral that is the crustaceans' habitat.
As a result some fishermen decided to become pirates, but it appears that the local communities are now turning against these activities, says BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut.
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