French Ship Grabs 11 Pirates Off of Somalia

Man died in crossfire as troops stormed captive yacht in April

(NEWSER) - French forces who stormed a yacht captured by Somali pirates on April 10 also shot dead one of the five hostages on board, Radio France Internationale reports. Prosecutors had said last month that it was unclear who was responsible for the bullet that killed Florent Lemaçon, who was caught in the crossfire while shielding his son. The coroner concluded that the fatal bullet pierced his hand before hitting him in the face. More»

(AP) - French forces launched an attack on a 30-foot-long pirate "mother ship" early today, detaining 11 pirates and thwarting a pirate attack on a Liberian-registered vessel, the AP reports. The pirates are being held aboard the Nivose, a French frigate taking part in a European mission to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden. A French surveillance helicopter spotted the pirates' mother ship yesterday, and it was intercepted 550 miles east of the Kenyan port of Mombasa. More»

Operation successfully rescues four others

(NEWSER) - French forces rescued four hostages from a yacht held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, but one hostage was killed during today's operation, the BBC reports. Two couples and a child were on a yacht captured by pirates last week in the Gulf of Aden. The child was among those rescued, French officials said. Although it is near Somalia, the French operation was not thought to be near where a US captain is being held hostage. More»

Nabs dastardly robbers

(NEWSER) - A French warship nabbed a boat full of pirates in the Gulf of Aden today, responding to a distress call from a Panamanian vessel, Reuters reports. The pirates fled when they saw the French ship approach, but they later returned to try their luck with the ship again, and the frigate captured them. “Resistance was impossible when faced by a well-armed warship,” said a French armed forces spokesman. More»

'Pirate mother ship' was actually hijacked Thai trawler

(NEWSER) - The "pirate mother ship" blown out of the water by the Indian navy in the Gulf of Arden last week was actually a Thai fishing trawler that had been seized by the pirates, the International Herald Tribune reports. The boat's owner learned of the mistake when a surviving crew member was rescued after holding on to a floating barrel for five days. Fourteen others are missing and presumed dead. More»