Puntland police arrest 11 pirates
NAIROBI: Police in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland arrested 11 pirates and recovered rifles, a heavy machine gun and a truck, the region's authorities said.
"On Sunday morning ... PMPF (Puntland Maritime Police Force) captured 11 pirates in a security operation in Hafun District," Puntland's Security Ministry said in a statement.
"The pirates arrested ... include Mohamed Mohamud Mohamed Hassan (Dhafoor), who is a well-known pirate wanted by Puntland authorities for hijacking commercial vessels traveling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden waterways."
The ministry said the police also recovered a Toyota truck, seven AK-47 assault rifles and one heavy machine gun.
The statement said Hassan was part of a gang that killed five members of Puntland's security forces during an operation to rescue a kidnapped Danish family last year.
Posted by: Steve White 2012-05-29 |