pirates

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'I'm Not a Hero': Rescued Captain

(Newser) - Shipping captain Richard Phillips is back in his home state, a week and a half after being taken hostage by pirates. The plane carrying Phillips, who was rescued by Navy SEAL snipers, landed in Burlington, Vt., late this afternoon. "I'm not a hero," Phillips, from nearby Underhill,...

Captured Pirate to Face Trial in US

Maersk captain on his way back to Vermont

(Newser) - The only surviving pirate from the gang that attacked the Maersk Alabama will be put on trial in New York, authorities tell CBS News. The pirate—identified as Abdulwali Muse, 19—is believed to have been the ringleader. Muse, whose three cohorts were killed by Navy snipers, is likely to...

New Sniper Rifles Boost Range, Accuracy

Pirate standoff calls attention to classified Pentagon project

(Newser) - The M107 sniper rifle is enjoying its pirate-fueled moment in the sun, but don't get used to it: Firearms being developed in a super-secret Pentagon program will extend snipers' range from 800 or so meters to more than 2,000 without losing accuracy, Time reports. What's more, bullets created...

Capt. Phillips Returns to Land

Arrives in Kenya where plane will take him home

(Newser) - The US sea captain held hostage for five days by Somali pirates reached land today, with the destroyer that rescued him docking to the strains of "Sweet Home Alabama," hours after his crew reunited with their families back home. Capt. Richard Phillips arrived in Mombasa harbor aboard the...

Maersk Crew Comes Home
 Maersk Crew Comes Home 
Apr 16, 2009 1:21 AM CDT

Maersk Crew Comes Home

Seaman who thwarted pirates get hero's welcome back on US soil

(Newser) - The American sailors who thwarted a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia have arrived home to a hero's welcome, reports the AP. Dozens of family members erupted in cheers and applause as the 19 crew members from the Maersk Alabama stepped off a charter flight from Kenya at Andrews...

US Going After Pirates' Loot
 US Going After Pirates' Loot 
Apr 15, 2009 8:00 PM CDT

US Going After Pirates' Loot

Clinton announces plans for 'War on Piracy'

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton plans to go after pirates' bounty as part of a multi-pronged effort to tackle piracy, USA Today reports. The secretary of state said finding and freezing the pirates' assets and property will make it tougher for them to collect their ransoms and buy new ships and surveillance systems....

French Nab Pirate 'Mother Ship'
 French Nab Pirate 'Mother Ship' 
Apr 15, 2009 10:03 AM CDT

French Nab Pirate 'Mother Ship'

(Newser) - 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...

Somalia Seeks Funds to Fight Pirates on Land

Somali PM urges West to help his government stop pirates reaching the sea

(Newser) - Somalia's transitional government says it's ready to take on the pirates that prey on shipping off its shores, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Somalis say they can tackle the pirates on land more effectively than foreign navies can manage at sea—but they are currently outgunned and will need...

Pirates Fail in Attack on US Ship

It's now under escort of USS Bainbridge, with Capt. Phillips

(Newser) - Capt. Richard Phillips' reunion with his crew and family may be delayed a bit because of yet another pirate attack. Somali pirates fired on another US ship today but failed to board it, CNN reports. That ship, the Liberty Sun, is now under the military escort of the USS Bainbridge—...

Maersk Crew Returns Home Tomorrow

(Newser) - 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...

Captain, Family Laud Military 'Heroes'

Colleagues and friends praise Phillips' high-stakes performance

(Newser) - Richard Phillips has been hailed a hero, but the rescued captain is downplaying his own role and praising his military saviors, reports the Boston Globe. "I'm just a small part in this. The real heroes in this story are the US military. They are the most dedicated, professional, and...

Somali Pirates Seize 3 More Ships

High-profile hostage rescues fail to prevent fresh hijackings

(Newser) - Somali pirates have seized another three ships in the Gulf of Aden, the AP reports. Two Egyptian fishing boats were hijacked yesterday and a Greek-owned freighter with at least 20 crew on board was seized before dawn today by pirates evidently undeterred by the recent standoff with the US Navy....

Navies Must Band Together to Fight Piracy: Experts

To beat back bandits, navies need cohesive international strategy

(Newser) - If EU and NATO leaders are serious about ending Somali piracy, they need to develop a coordinated strategy, say experts. Patrolling the high seas and protecting merchant ships has long been an individual effort among states, Time reports, but with piracy on a precipitous rise—there have already been 65...

Slain Pirates Were 'Untrained Teenagers': US

They were young men 'with heavy arms:' Gates

(Newser) - Capt. Richard Phillips’ captors were young men new to high-seas crime, AFP reports. The Somali pirates, aged 17-19, were “untrained teenagers with heavy weapons,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today, adding that Somalia needs “something on land that begins to change the equation for these kids.”...

Somali Insurgents Fire at US Congressman's Plane

Three killed in following skirmish, locals say

(Newser) - Somali insurgents fired mortars at a Somalia airport as a US congressman was departing, the AP reports. None of the six shells hit the airport, and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne made it away safely—but 19 civilians were wounded when the shells landed in nearby neighborhoods, a hospital administrator...

Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates
 Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates 
Apr 13, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates

Use of force could deter further attacks: Pentagon

(Newser) - President Obama pledged to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of Africa as he praised the military's successful attempt to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips. "I'm very proud of the efforts of the US military," the president said in his first public remarks on the five-day...

US Military May Strike Pirates on Land

In Jefferson's time, US hit land bases

(Newser) - One way for the US to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden is to cut it off at the source, targeting Somali pirate land bases. Coupled with economic and food aid for Somalia’s citizens, this plan is the only “silver-bullet solution,” an analyst tells Bloomberg. Such...

Pirate Hunters Coming to TV
 Pirate Hunters Coming to TV 
Apr 13, 2009 9:35 AM CDT

Pirate Hunters Coming to TV

Series will follow warship involved in recent standoff

(Newser) - Yesterday's daring rescue of Captain Richard Phillips seems like made-for-TV drama—at least to Spike TV. The network has greenlighted a pilot for a series documenting the US Navy’s fight against pirates in the Gulf of Aden, where Phillips’ rescue took place, Variety reports. One of the warships at...

It's Time to Shoot Some Pirates
 It's Time to Shoot Some Pirates 
OPINION
Apr 13, 2009 8:17 AM CDT

It's Time to Shoot Some Pirates

(Newser) - Captain Richard Phillips has been rescued, and that’s good news. “But it remains a scandal that Somali pirates continue to routinely defeat the world’s naval powers,” writes Fred Iklé in the Washington Post. The pirates are surely funneling money to terrorists, Iklé surmises, and our failure...

Should Ship Crews be Armed?


 Should Ship Crews be Armed? 
Apr 13, 2009 7:52 AM CDT

Should Ship Crews be Armed?

Piracy danger raises old questions

(Newser) - Amid the latest wave of piracy off Somalia, experts are once again questioning whether commercial ships’ crews should be armed, the New York Times reports. Ship owners had been against the idea, fearing liability and worrying that armed crews might be killed by pirates, rather than taken hostage. But increased...

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