Somali pirates take British couple ashore - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Somali pirates take British couple ashore

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali pirates who hijacked a British couple’s yacht brought them to a fishing village on shore Thursday, a fisherman said.

Two boats carrying eight pirates and a white couple arrived in the village of Ceel Huur in the early morning, said Dahir Dabadhahan. A convoy of around 30 other pirates in six luxury vehicles met the group in front of fishermen preparing their boats of the day, he said.

“The pirates opened fire into the air, waving us to move away,” he said.

Ceel Huur is just north of a notorious pirate stronghold in the town of Haradhere.

Earlier Thursday, the British navy found the couple’s empty yacht in international waters. Warships have been searching for Paul and Rachel Chandler since their yacht, the Lynn Rival, sent out a distress signal last Friday.

Relatives of the British couple, who were headed to Tanzania, have pleaded with their captors to end the family’s “bad dream.”

“If I was to give a message to the pirates, I’d say you’ve got the wrong people,” said Jill Marshment, the sister of Paul Chandler, Britain’s Press Association reported.

Also Thursday, pirates hijacked a Thai fishing vessel north of the Seychelles islands, the European Union Naval Force said.

The Thai Union 3 reported it was under attack by pirates in two skiffs 200 miles north of the Seychelles and 650 miles off the Somali coast, according to a news release issued by the headquarters for the EU’s Operation Atalanta.

A naval aircraft sent to the scene saw pirates aboard the vessel and two skiffs tied up behind it. The EU force said the ship is now heading toward Somalia.

The latest seizure means pirates are now holding a total of eight ships, four of which were seized in the past two weeks.

Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years. The multimillion dollar ransoms the pirates collect are a strong lure for young gunmen in a country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid.

The high-seas hijackings have persisted despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region.

Associated Press Writers Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.