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The crew managed to fight off the pirates and wrest back control of the ship, but the captain is still being held hostage in a lifeboat as the FBI attempt to negotiate. Named as Richard Phillips, this selfless individual offered himself to the pirates to secure the rest of his crew.
Here's the story, courtesy of Wikipedia:
On April 8, 2009, the ship en route to Mombasa, Kenya, was hijacked (7:30 am local time) by Somali pirates 310 miles (500 km) off the coast of Somalia. All 21 crew are believed to be from the United States. The ship was carrying general cargo, most likely aid supplies to Ethiopia.[3][4]
In what The Christian Science Monitor called a "Hollywood-worthy episode", the crewmen reportedly overtook the pirates and used cell phones to provide updates on the events.[5] According to media reports released on April 8, 2009, that quote a U.S. military official, the crew may have captured one pirate while three others attempted to escape.[6] Other reports indicate that the vessel's crew had captured one of the pirates, whom they kept tied up for twelve hours before releasing during negotiations for the release of the ship's captain, Richard Philips. The captain had reportedly offered himself to the captors to secure the safety of the rest of the crew.[7] The pirates left the Maersk Alabama in one of the ship's lifeboats with Captain Philips.[8]
On April 8, 2009, the USS Bainbridge was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in response to a hostage situation. The warship reached the Maersk Alabama early on April 9th. The pirates are reportedly floating nearby in the ship's lifeboat, out of fuel, while they continue to hold the ship's captain hostage.[9]
The troubling part is that the only thing which makes this particular episode unique is the bravery of the crew. Somalia, a failed state run by various lawless clans and Islamists, continues to emanate misery and violence for all who venture near it (and for many who don't) - there were 130 hijackings last year alone, and the problem is being spread more and more widely.
Earlier this week, a British-owned vessel was captured.
Piracy isn't the only thing currently happening in Somalia, though. There's all sorts - murder, rape, kidnap - all of it apparently justified by the Koran and local customs.
Please spare a thought for the ordeal currently being experienced by a female Canadian journalist, Amanda Lindhout, and her Australian colleague, kidnapped by Islamists in Mogadishu whilst on an assignment.
Jihad Watch has the story:
Somalia: Islamists rape, and impregnate, Canadian captive - and demand 2.5 million as ransom. Here's another arrangement: Instead of returning the Somali-Canadian terrorist just arrested back to Canada, Somalia can keep him and return in his stead these captive Canadians to Canada. Something of an even swap.
Canada returns the "Hawiye kidnap Canadian journalist is pregnant," from TFSF, April 8 (thanks to Patrick Poole):
MOGADISHU --Amanda Lindhout, a Canadian journalist who was abducted by habar-gidir .. hawiye al-shabaab wing gunmen in the Somali capital Mogadishu about eight months ago is reportedly pregnant after she was apparently raped by her abductors.
Sources say the Canadian journalist Amanda and an Australian photojournalist are being held by the militia in the northeastern neighbourhood of Suqa Holaha habar-girir hawye Terrorist neighborhood in Mogadishu. The abductors have demanded $2.5 million of ransom from the two journalists to release.
Amanda and the Australian photojournalist once escaped from a house in Suqa Holaha neighnourhood and entered a mosque near by, but they were recaptured again. militia who kidnapped the journalists claims they are al-shabab Terrorist Hawiye wing . Some reports suggest that one the abductors made Amanda as his wife...
Everything you need to know not only about Somalia, but also Islam, right there I believe.
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2 comments:
I am very proud of the fact that the unarmed American crew of the Maersk Alabama was able to overpower the pirates and recover control of the ship. As I understand it, the negotiations were supposed to result in the release of the Captain, but the pirates, as might be expected, acted dishonorably and did not release him per the agreement. It is my sincere hope that all of the pirates are eventually killed in this encounter.
One way to stop this will be if all pirates who put out to sea simply cease to return. If they all die in the attempt, it will eventually become evident, even to muzlims, that this is not a good idea (this may take quite some time).
They must all die, without exception. This was understood the world over to be the penalty for piracy for generations. Only in the modern day have we forgotten the lesson that our forebearers knew so well. We today are not half as smart as they were.
And don't forget who didn't have the balls but went into Somalia anyway and ran away like a wanker when the going got tough. Yeah, the same asshole that still gets millions for mumbling weasel-words. *spit*
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