Photo of an enclosed lifeboat similar to the one found on the Maersk Alabama
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| US Officials: FBI in Charge of the Pirates |
| 2009-04-11 |
| FBI agents are investigating the Somali pirates who hijacked a U.S. ship and are holding its captain hostage, U.S. officials said Saturday, raising the possibility of federal charges against the men if they are captured. Even as Navy warships were in a standoff with the pirates floating in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean, FBI agents from New York were investigating how the hijacking unfolded, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. Attorney General Eric Holder said this past week that the Justice Department had not seen a case of piracy against a U.S. ship in hundreds of years. But authorities have prepared for such an event as the threat of piracy along the African coast has risen. "If there were ever a U.S. victim of one of these attacks or a U.S. shipping line that were a victim, our Justice Department has said that it would favorably consider prosecuting such apprehended pirates," Stephen Mull, the acting undersecretary of state for international security and arms control, told Congress last month. Under U.S. law, crimes aboard U.S. ships or against U.S. citizens fall can be prosecuted in U.S. courts, even when they occur in international waters. The FBI investigation is being run out of New York because the office there oversees cases involving U.S. citizens in Africa. Other field offices take the lead depending on where in the world the crime occurs. The FBI has a legal attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya and has agents elsewhere in Africa to assist the investigation. Whether charges ever get filed depends on how the standoff plays out. If the pirates are captured at sea, it will be much easier for U.S. authorities to prosecute. The pirates have summoned reinforcements and are trying to make it back, with the hostage, to lawless Somalia. That would make it harder for authorities to stage a rescue attempt and would make the FBI's case murkier because the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Somalia. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #20 Thanks Sherry. Makes me wonder how he could have escaped and why the Bainbridge is hundreds of yards away. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-04-11 21:02 |
| #19 Oh yea, here's the site I got this -- he's got all kinds of info on it Worth reading |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-11 20:56 |
| #18 Thanks Nimble -- I've seen this picture shown on several news reports over the last few days, so I'm thinking, it's the real thing. The word "enclosed" is often used in the news report. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-11 20:54 |
| #17 Sherry, Since it's you, I'll assume that's not sarcasm and that is the vessel. It seems as if, given it's out of fuel, it ought to be easy for SEALS to tie up to and the Bainbridge to tow out to sea where discussions can proceed on a less equal footing. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-04-11 20:45 |
| #16 Someone posted a link the other day to the Boston Whaler website. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 20:40 |
| #15 Here's what the good Cap't is in: Photo of an enclosed lifeboat similar to the one found on the Maersk Alabama |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-11 20:34 |
#14 FBI attorney in New York hard at work freeing the hostage. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 19:10 |
| #13 Mike N: Give it a 6 months, if Bambi screws this up like we expect, then somebody is going to try something similar. They'll push the limit on what can be used "legally". I'm personally for shooting Beetles off at the pirates. Takes up less room and more to fire. |
| Posted by: Charles 2009-04-11 19:01 |
| #12 Great. Maybe they can bring in the BATF, borrow a couple patrol boats from the Coast Guard and hire Janet Reno as a technical expert. If it's gonna be a farce, then make it a full-blown production. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-04-11 18:21 |
| #11 Even more worrying in the short term is the FBI's experience in this environment. Sure, the FBI are excellent hostage negotiators, but 1. Only inside of the USA. Will their psychological techniques work on Somali pirates? 2. On land. Really, how many hostage situations has the FBI handled involving a lifeboat on the open ocean? Lack of technical understanding is likely to get someone killed. |
| Posted by: Plastic Snoopy 2009-04-11 15:25 |
| #10 I still have that one owner Buick. Owned by a senoir citizen. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 14:44 |
| #9 Lol! Frank. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 14:42 |
| #8 I desperately hope someone in charge or advising those in charge know that we tried to buy our way out of our last pirate problem and it didn't work. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 14:42 |
| #7 a classic at AOSHQ: 34 I heard the FBI was out there. They must be copying DVDs. I knew that anti-piracy warning was serious. Posted by: rdbrewer at April 11, 2009 12:52 PM |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-11 14:41 |
| #6 The only valid use for the FBI, State dept or any negotiations is to improve the potential of a SEAL team being successful in recovering the hostages. This is a friggin joke. Our nation figured out how to handle pirates very early in its history. I cannot believe we forgot. Piracy and terrorism are not law enforcement problems. |
| Posted by: JAB 2009-04-11 14:37 |
| #5 So pissed I did not spell check, Sorry. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-04-11 14:19 |
| #4 The FBI has no business here. This is warfare. Leave it to the pro's. The FBI investigates crimes. The basic premis here is that they do it AFTER the fact. This is defense and we as a nation must always be on the offense. The desk officer in Kenya can not solve theis not can the investigators in New York prevent this, only sailors on partol can, well and some well placed OGA's. Let's see the FBI has a great history when dealing with the terrorists. They paid the ASG 300k, they did a wonderful job with the Klinghoffer (sp) hostage, 911, Ruby Ridge, Waco, Oklahoma City, Den Dozier, etc... Note to the FBI.. Let the SEAL teams deal with this and go back and deal with the white collar criminals that got out country into this economic crisis! Spitting mad! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-04-11 14:18 |
| #3 No. They are pirates, not criminals. They have the right to be hung or shot, and that's about it. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-04-11 14:13 |
| #2 Fuck. Barry may best Jimmuh in the longest held hostage department. My best wishes for the Captain and all future vistims. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 13:32 |
| #1 This is Operations or nothing is. This is the nub of the issue: Are these pirates or alleged larcenists. The 0bama administration appears to be coming out in favor of the later. This idiot is going to let things go until the whole nation demands war so that, like Roosevelt, he can distract attention from his economic blunders. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-04-11 13:12 |