Israeli security guards working for an Italian cruise line repulsed six pirates who tried to board a passenger liner April 25 in the Indian Ocean, near the Seychelles—some 600 miles from Somalia. The guards aboard the MSC Melody used pistols and firehouses to beat back the pirates, who sprayed the ship with some 200 rounds of ammunition. The ship carried 991 passengers and 536 crew, en route from Durbin, South Africa to Aqaba, Jordan. An MSC cruise line official told Reuters, "We use [Israeli security guards] because they are the best—and we've just had a demonstration of that." (Jewish Week [2], April 29)
The pirates in the incident were later apprehended. The European Union's Maritime Security Center (MSC) said the pirates were firs intercepted by a Spanish warship, the Numancia. The suspects, who were "in poor health," were released for lack of evidence—but were later picked up by the Seychelles coast guard. "The capture operation was conducted in co-operation with a... French maritime patrol aircraft and a warship from the Indian Navy which also discovered an abandoned skiff not far from the scene," the MSC said. (AllAfrica [3], April 28)
See our last post on Somalia and the pirates [4].
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