Pirates free family for US$3m
Source: Agencies |
September 8, 2011, Thursday
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SOMALI pirates have freed a Danish family of five and two crew captured while sailing off the Horn of Africa in February after receiving a US$3 million ransom, a pirate claimed yesterday.
The pirates captured the family - Jan Quist Johansen, his wife and three children - and two crew members when they hijacked the group's 14-meter yacht about 1,000 kilometers east of Somalia.
Danish officials confirmed the family and crew members were flying back to Denmark.
"The seven Danes are well, considering the circumstances," the Danish Foreign Ministry said. "They are expected to be back shortly."
Pirates plaguing the shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean typically target large merchant ships, with oil tankers the prize catch, but the snatching of foreigners can also yield high ransoms.
A pirate, who identified himself as Hussein, said: "We received a US$3 million ransom on Tuesday."
Charlotte Slente, head of Danish consular services, said: "The Danish state has not been involved in contact with the pirates. Contact has been handled by relatives of the seven Danes. They have been advised by a private security company that has experience in those matters."
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed news of the captives' release. "I am sincerely happy on behalf of the family," he said.
The pirates captured the family - Jan Quist Johansen, his wife and three children - and two crew members when they hijacked the group's 14-meter yacht about 1,000 kilometers east of Somalia.
Danish officials confirmed the family and crew members were flying back to Denmark.
"The seven Danes are well, considering the circumstances," the Danish Foreign Ministry said. "They are expected to be back shortly."
Pirates plaguing the shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean typically target large merchant ships, with oil tankers the prize catch, but the snatching of foreigners can also yield high ransoms.
A pirate, who identified himself as Hussein, said: "We received a US$3 million ransom on Tuesday."
Charlotte Slente, head of Danish consular services, said: "The Danish state has not been involved in contact with the pirates. Contact has been handled by relatives of the seven Danes. They have been advised by a private security company that has experience in those matters."
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed news of the captives' release. "I am sincerely happy on behalf of the family," he said.
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