At least three Somali pirates have been killed fighting over the biggest ransom in the history of piracy. A gun battle broke in out the pirate haven of Harardhere last night after a record $7 million was paid to secure the release of the Greek supertanker Maran Centaurus, its $150 million cargo, and 28 crewmembers. Local elders are trying to mediate between two sides disagreeing over how the loot should be divided, a pirate tells Bloomberg.
The fighting began even before the ransom was delivered, the AP reports. A rival gang arrived in speedboats just before the cash was dropped off, prompting the pirates holding the vessel to radio nearby anti-piracy forces for help, warning that a gunfight could ignite the crude oil onboard. Helicopters duly arrived to chase the attackers off, according to a Somali middleman involved in the negotiations—although a European naval force commander denies that they would ever intervene in a pirate fight.
(More Somali pirates stories.)
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