Yemeni Forces Free Tanker, Nab 11 Pirates

(AP) - The shipping captain held hostage by Somali pirates will return to the US with his crew tomorrow. Maersk Line said today that Richard Phillips and the crew of the Maersk Alabama are expected to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland late tomorrow, where they will reunite with loved ones in a private reception. They are taking a chartered flight from Mombasa, Kenya. More»

US officials have killed or captured all the pirates

(NEWSER) - The four Americans on a yacht captured by Somali pirates Friday have been shot and killed by their captors, NBC News reports, and US forces killed two pirates and captured the remaining 13. Phyllis Macay, Robert Riggle and the yacht’s owners Jean and Scott Adam were captured on a round-the-world sailing trip while off the coast of Oman in the Indian Ocean. The pirates had headed toward waters between Yemen and northern Somalia. A Somali pirate said Sunday that a warship had been shadowing the yacht. More»

California couple on round-the-world mission since 2004

(AP) - Somali pirates yesterday hijacked a yacht with four Americans aboard, in likely retaliation for the 33-year prison sentence this week of a pirate in the hijacking of the US vessel Maersk Alabama. The yacht Quest belongs to missionaries Jean and Scott Adam, who have been sailing around the world since 2004, distributing Bibles as they go, reports the AP. A Somali pirate told the AP earlier this week that Americans would see "regrettable consequences" for the sentencing of their compatriot. More»

They even got their boats back

(NEWSER) - The pirates seized by a Russian warship off the coast of Somalia have been released, despite initial tough talk about taking them to Russia to face trial. "Imperfections" in international law forced the change in course, a defense ministry spokesman told the AP today, declining to elaborate. Some countries are wary of hauling in pirates for trial for fear of being saddled with them after they serve prison terms, the AP notes, which could explain the spokesman's brush-off comment, "Why should we feed some pirates?" More»

Brits reportedly safe after yacht seized off Somalia

(NEWSER) - A British couple whose yacht went missing in the Indian Ocean four days ago is being held by Somali pirates. The couple was captured during a round-the-world trip while sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania; five international warships were searching hundreds of miles off the African coast for the pair. A pirate told the Times of London that they had "hijacked" the boat and that the couple was "healthy and in our hands." More»