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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| New Somali bid to free US captain | New Somali bid to free US captain |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Somali elders have launched a fresh attempt to resolve the standoff between the US navy and pirates holding an American captain hostage in a lifeboat. | Somali elders have launched a fresh attempt to resolve the standoff between the US navy and pirates holding an American captain hostage in a lifeboat. |
| Somali sources say a group of elders have taken to sea to arrange safe passage for the hostage takers. | Somali sources say a group of elders have taken to sea to arrange safe passage for the hostage takers. |
| The pirates have warned the US navy, which has a warship within sight of the lifeboat, against trying to rescue Capt Richard Phillips by force. | The pirates have warned the US navy, which has a warship within sight of the lifeboat, against trying to rescue Capt Richard Phillips by force. |
| His container ship has arrived with the rest of its crew in Mombasa in Kenya | His container ship has arrived with the rest of its crew in Mombasa in Kenya |
| Crew members hailed his bravery, saying he offered himself as a hostage in order to save them when the Maersk Alabama was attacked on Wednesday. | Crew members hailed his bravery, saying he offered himself as a hostage in order to save them when the Maersk Alabama was attacked on Wednesday. |
| The ship is now being treated as a crime scene and US federal agents have been interviewing the crew. | |
| The captain is now being held on a lifeboat said to be drifting about 30-45km (20 and 30 miles) off the Somali coast. | The captain is now being held on a lifeboat said to be drifting about 30-45km (20 and 30 miles) off the Somali coast. |
| Shots fired | Shots fired |
| A US military official said that on Saturday the four pirates guarding him fired shots at a small navy vessel which had approached, possibly to conduct reconnaissance. | A US military official said that on Saturday the four pirates guarding him fired shots at a small navy vessel which had approached, possibly to conduct reconnaissance. |
| No-one was hurt and the navy vessel turned away without returning fire, an unnamed US official told the Associated Press news agency. | No-one was hurt and the navy vessel turned away without returning fire, an unnamed US official told the Associated Press news agency. |
| MAJOR PIRATE INCIDENTS Ukrainian ship MV Faina seized on 25 September 2008, held until 5 February 2009Saudi tanker Sirius Star held for two months from November 2008; a $3m ransom was negotiatedAt least 15 pirate attacks reported to International Maritime Bureau during March 2009The 32,500-tonne Malaspina Castle, UK-owned but operated by Italians, seized on 6 April 2009. Growing sophistication of pirates Q&A: Somali piracy Profile: Capt Richard Phillips | MAJOR PIRATE INCIDENTS Ukrainian ship MV Faina seized on 25 September 2008, held until 5 February 2009Saudi tanker Sirius Star held for two months from November 2008; a $3m ransom was negotiatedAt least 15 pirate attacks reported to International Maritime Bureau during March 2009The 32,500-tonne Malaspina Castle, UK-owned but operated by Italians, seized on 6 April 2009. Growing sophistication of pirates Q&A: Somali piracy Profile: Capt Richard Phillips |
| In the latest attempt to end to the stand-off, elders said to be related to the pirates set sail from the northern Somali town of Eyl. US military officials confirmed fresh negotiations were under way. | |
| The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Mombasa says the main stumbling block is the pirates' demand to be allowed to return to land before returning the hostage. | The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Mombasa says the main stumbling block is the pirates' demand to be allowed to return to land before returning the hostage. |
| Earlier talks failed when US officials insisted on the pirates' arrest, the New York Times newspaper says, quoting unnamed Somali officials. | Earlier talks failed when US officials insisted on the pirates' arrest, the New York Times newspaper says, quoting unnamed Somali officials. |
| Abdi Garad, a Somali pirate commander, told AFP news agency on Saturday that there was concern the Americans were "planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did". | Abdi Garad, a Somali pirate commander, told AFP news agency on Saturday that there was concern the Americans were "planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did". |
| French commandos stormed a yacht on Friday to free hostages, but one captive was killed during the operation. | French commandos stormed a yacht on Friday to free hostages, but one captive was killed during the operation. |
| Also on Saturday, pirates hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden. The Buccaneer has 16 crew members on board, 10 of them Italians. | Also on Saturday, pirates hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden. The Buccaneer has 16 crew members on board, 10 of them Italians. |
| The crew, which also includes five Romanians and a Croat, are said to have been unharmed. | The crew, which also includes five Romanians and a Croat, are said to have been unharmed. |
| Another vessel, sailing under the Turkish flag, escaped when its crew used water hoses to repel the pirates who had fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the captain's cabin. | Another vessel, sailing under the Turkish flag, escaped when its crew used water hoses to repel the pirates who had fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the captain's cabin. |
| A piracy expert said the hijackings did not appear to be related to the attack on the Alabama Maersk. | A piracy expert said the hijackings did not appear to be related to the attack on the Alabama Maersk. |
| "This is just the Somali pirate machine in full flow," Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, founder of Dryad Maritime Intelligence Ltd, told AP. | "This is just the Somali pirate machine in full flow," Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, founder of Dryad Maritime Intelligence Ltd, told AP. |