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US navy sends FBI to free hostage from stranded pirates
 MOMBASA, Kenya - The US navy rushed in FBI negotiators and a destroyer Thursday as Somali pirates holding an American hostage on a lifeboat were drifting on the Indian Ocean with no fuel. In a rare admission it was ready to negotiate with pirates suspected of links to terror-listed groups, the Federal Bureau of Investigations said it was assigning negotiators to help secure the release of the ship's captain. "FBI negotiators stationed at Quantico (Virginia) have been called by the Navy to assist with negotiations with the Somali pirates and are fully engaged in this matter," spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement.
| I confess my opening statement to the pirates would be .. simple ... |
When the four pirates were ousted from the 17,500-tonne Danish-operated container ship, they took the captain hostage on a lifeboat. "Apparently, the lifeboat has run out of gas," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said ahead of a meeting in Washington.
| Sorta like the Bambi administration ... |
"Most recent contact with the Alabama indicated that the captain remains a hostage but is unharmed at this time," Kevin Speers, a US-based spokesman for Maersk, told reporters on Thursday.
It was believed to be the first US merchant ship hijacked since the North African Barbary Wars in the early 19th century.
| Whatcha gonna do about it, Bambi? |
A commander from the group of pirates who took the ship said pirate reinforcements were on their way to try and help those holding the hostage, who are effectively surrounded. "We are planning to reinforce our colleagues who told us that a navy ship was closing in on them and I hope the matter will soon be solved," Abdi Garad told AFP by phone from the northern pirate lair of Eyl.
"They are closely monitored by a navy ship and I think it will be difficult for us to reach the area promptly," he admitted, with US helicopters swirling the area. "But we are making final preparations and will try our best to save our friends."
The Maersk Alabama's chief officer, Shane Murphy, told his father that the crew used "brute force" to overpower the pirates, who were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, ABC News reported.
| Bet a lot of pirates woke up the next day stiff and sore. Lunch was soup ... |
Posted by: Steve White 2009-04-10 |
