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Africa Horn
US navy sends FBI to free hostage from stranded pirates
2009-04-10
MOMBASA, Kenya - The US navy rushed in FBI negotiators and a destroyer Thursday as Somali pirates holding an American hostage on a lifeboat were drifting on the Indian Ocean with no fuel. In a rare admission it was ready to negotiate with pirates suspected of links to terror-listed groups, the Federal Bureau of Investigations said it was assigning negotiators to help secure the release of the ship's captain. "FBI negotiators stationed at Quantico (Virginia) have been called by the Navy to assist with negotiations with the Somali pirates and are fully engaged in this matter," spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement.
I confess my opening statement to the pirates would be .. simple ...
When the four pirates were ousted from the 17,500-tonne Danish-operated container ship, they took the captain hostage on a lifeboat. "Apparently, the lifeboat has run out of gas," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said ahead of a meeting in Washington.
Sorta like the Bambi administration ...
"Most recent contact with the Alabama indicated that the captain remains a hostage but is unharmed at this time," Kevin Speers, a US-based spokesman for Maersk, told reporters on Thursday.

It was believed to be the first US merchant ship hijacked since the North African Barbary Wars in the early 19th century.
Whatcha gonna do about it, Bambi?
A commander from the group of pirates who took the ship said pirate reinforcements were on their way to try and help those holding the hostage, who are effectively surrounded. "We are planning to reinforce our colleagues who told us that a navy ship was closing in on them and I hope the matter will soon be solved," Abdi Garad told AFP by phone from the northern pirate lair of Eyl.

"They are closely monitored by a navy ship and I think it will be difficult for us to reach the area promptly," he admitted, with US helicopters swirling the area. "But we are making final preparations and will try our best to save our friends."
Good luck with that ...
The Maersk Alabama's chief officer, Shane Murphy, told his father that the crew used "brute force" to overpower the pirates, who were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, ABC News reported.
Bet a lot of pirates woke up the next day stiff and sore. Lunch was soup ...
Posted by:Steve White

#21  Snowy Mountain, I think you just found a brand new Anti-pirating weapon. When they pirates try to board, launch one of our useless cars at them! I can just picture it now, them all pointing up and yelling "BUICK!"
Posted by: Charles   2009-04-10 21:54  

#20  Okay, I'll bite, the SEALS? DELTA? BOTH???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2009-04-10 21:04  

#19  

'nuff siad.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2009-04-10 20:54  

#18  Oh heck, that didn't work. Let me try again...

Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2009-04-10 19:22  

#17   I'm not entirely certain that I'm the kind of guy you'd want negotiating on your behalf. The only thing I know for certain that would come out of it is, that the hostage takers would get no money. None. But I have this great leathered up Buick in back with E-Z miles on her.

Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2009-04-10 19:21  

#16  What's the big deal? Just have Obama print up another trillion and pay the ransom.
Posted by: Gluting Fillmore6653   2009-04-10 18:32  

#15  MikeN,
Let's swap that Buick for the captain. Normally I wouldn't want to pay ransom, but that sounds kind of like the ransom of Red Chief.
Posted by: Glenmore   2009-04-10 18:11  

#14  What sorry irony that would be, but you're right on the money with the history.

I'm from Ohio originally, near Eaton, which is the seat of Preble County. I'll wander over to the Navy webiste to see if the have a USS Eaton on the roster at present. That would complete the fun.
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division   2009-04-10 17:45  

#13  What will be truly pathetic is if the Bainbridge is jouned by the Decatur (DDG 73) and the Preble (DDG 88). I wonder how many of the sailors will understand the irony. Those guys understood made the protocols and precedents.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2009-04-10 17:19  

#12  I'm with Nimble here, and even worse, how close to you have to get to the USN before they'll rescue you?

The Cap'n attempted escape, at night, but the Bainbridge was a few "hundred meters" away?

Isn't the logic completely backward here - shouldn't the USN be teaching the FBI how to conduct hostage negotiation, rescue, recovey and after action analysis?

The only possible hope is some sort of Eisenhowerian "enlarge the problem" setting - suck in all the reinforcements the Somali navy elects to deploy, track them arriving, besiege them at sea (when has that been done?) and deliver the ultimata.

OK naval historians, RN or USN - what are the protocols and precendents involved?
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division   2009-04-10 13:43  

#11  I'm not entirely certain that I'm the kind of guy you'd want negotiating on your behalf. The only thing I know for certain that would come out of it is, that the hostage takers would get no money. None. But I have this great leathered up Buick in back with E-Z miles on her.
Posted by: Mike N.   2009-04-10 12:53  

#10   PLEASE call a used care car salesman NOT

Sorry, fixed
Posted by: 49 Pan   2009-04-10 12:45  

#9   The FBI did a great job of negotiating with the Abu Sayyaff to get the Burnhams released as well. The FBI helped with a money transfer that help to fund the terrorists and in the end, months later, Martin Burnham and Edobora Yap were kill. Grace was shot in the leg. If I am ever taken hostage PLEASE call a used care salesman NOT the FBI, I want someone that can negotiate!
Posted by: 49 Pan   2009-04-10 12:44  

#8  I don't think the G-men are on site. They appear to be working out of Quantico.
Posted by: tu3031   2009-04-10 12:24  

#7  The NYTimes is telling Obama what to think. Next, it will tell Hillary what to do. Meanwhile, Gates has been found hiding under a desk.
Posted by: balthazar   2009-04-10 12:03  

#6  When the pirate reinforcements get ther. Sink. Everything. Then it will be another couple hundred years. If not, the Barry admin is going to end up having to downplay serveral of these events before his time is up.
Posted by: Mike N.   2009-04-10 11:11  

#5  The Navy needs help from the FBI on how to handle pirates? Close Annapolis.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2009-04-10 08:59  

#4  Non-sequitur from NY Times

There is no evidence, experts say, of any links between the pirates and Islamic militants in Somalia, and officials said it was unlikely that the United States would strike directly at pirate sanctuaries along the Somali coast


Someone explain that logic to me.
Posted by: Chineper Speaking for Boskone5514   2009-04-10 08:44  

#3  The FBI did such a splendid job rounding up all of the ACORN criminals, nothing much for them to do but sit around. This gives them an opportunity to stay engaged, brush up on their Somali clan linquistic abilities. Besides, how could DoD handle anything this complex ethnically nuanced.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-04-10 07:32  

#2  This must not be news, anymore. I search the front page of The Washington Post before I left for work, and didn't see anything...
Posted by: Bobby   2009-04-10 06:07  

#1  "...the matter will soon be solved, Abdi Garad told AFP by phone from the northern pirate lair of Eyl."

I have a sense of how this could resolve.
Posted by: Skidmark   2009-04-10 03:03  

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