Dutch Navy arrest 20 Somali pirates suspected of kidnapping two sailors

[News_Editor]

Dutch Navy arrest 20 Somali pirates suspected of kidnapping two sailors

2010-11-25 00:28:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

AMSTERDAM (BNO NEWS) -- Dutch Authorities on Wednesday announced that the Navy arrested 20 individuals who are suspected to be involved on the attack of a South African yacht and the kidnapping of two sailors.

"Thirteen suspected pirates were arrested on Friday and seven suspected pirates yesterday," said Wim de Bruin, a spokesperson for the Dutch prosecution. "There are strong indications these people were involved in the attack on the South African yacht and the kidnapping of two South African."

The two groups were detained off the coast of Somalia as they were traveling in speedboats. When the suspected pirates noticed the Dutch Navy approaching, they threw their weapons into the water. Authorities are investigating if the two groups are part of a single organization.

The pirates were held on a supply ship, The Amsterdam, until Dutch law enforcement arrived. The Amsterdam is part of the NATO’s Ocean Shield mission that protect vessels from Somali pirates and operates in the Gulf of Aden area.

On October 26, a group of pirates attacked a South African yacht off the Seychelles. The pirate group took three people hostages. The skipper, Peter Eldridge, managed to escape earlier this month but two South African individuals are still captive.

Last June, a Rotterdam court imprisoned five Somali pirates after being found guilty of attacking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. This was the first conviction of its kind in Europe.

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