 AT least four people were killed overnight during intense fighting between rival Somali pirates in the town of Harardhere arguing over a record ransom, elders and pirates say. The tension has been high in the central Somali pirate lair ever since an estimated $US7 million ($7.56 million) were dropped by a small plane for the release of the VLCC Maran Centaurus, a Greek-flagged supertanker a third of a kilometre long and carrying two million barrels of crude oil. "The situation is calm this morning but there is still tension between the pirates. Three of them, including a senior pirate leader, were killed so far and three others were injured,'' local elder Moalim Abdalla Hasan said today. "We are trying to mediate between them because they are disturbing our peace. A civilian was killed in the crossfire and the residents are very concerned about this feud,'' he said. "I think there will not be trust between them any more since they killed each other. Three pirates have died already since yesterday and if there's no swift mediation, more will die, including civilians,'' Mr Nile said. According to other sources in Harardhere, two pirates died when a dispute flared on Sunday, immediately after the Maran Centaurus' ransom was delivered. Somalia's pirates treat every successful hijacking like a private venture in which businessmen from all over the country can invest by offering financial or material assistance, buying and selling shares. The bigger the captured vessel, the more complex the shareholder structure. Squabbling over a ransom is not uncommon but yesterday night's clashes are some of the most violent recorded in Somalia's otherwise relatively united piratehood. The operators of the Maran Centaurus, the second largest vessel ever captured by pirates, confirmed the supertanker and its crew of 28 were freed yesterday and were heading for the South African port of Durban. The Australian
 SOMALI pirates have freed the Greek supertanker VLCC Maran Centaurus, one of the largest ships ever hijacked, after a plane dropped at least $US5 million ($5.43 million) in ransom on the deck. The ransom, also one of the largest ever paid, sparked a deadly feud within the group of pirates delaying the release of the ship and its crew of 28 seamen who were taken in the Indian Ocean on November 29. "She's free. She's preparing to sail out'' from the pirate lair of Harardhere, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program said today. Pirate sources in Harardhere said the huge ship was still anchored off Harardhere today apparently receiving last-minute technical assistance from a nearby foreign warship. Ecoterra International, an environmentalist NGO that monitors illegal maritime activity in the region, said the last pirates left the very large crude carrier (VLCC) early today. It added that pirates reportedly bragged about generously giving $US500 ($543) to each crew member - 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and a Romanian - "for good co-operation''. On December 2, the 332-metre-long ship was brought to the pirate base of Hobyo but was subsequently moved further south to Harardhere, the capital of Somali piracy. The 1995-built supertanker, the second largest vessel seized by Somali pirates yet, is carrying two million barrels of crude, which is equivalent to the daily output of some of the world's top oil producers. The largest snatched by Somalia's marauding freebooters was the Sirius Star, a Saudi-owned VLCC seized in 2008, for which an estimated $US8 million ($8.68 million) were paid in ransom money. The hijacking of the Sirius Star sent shockwaves through the shipping world as pirates showed they could disturb key interests on one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. The incident also raised fears that pirates might one day use a hijacked ship as a weapon to carry out an attack and cause unprecedented human and environmental damage. The ship, the first known case of a Greek-flagged vessel being hijacked, was headed from Saudi Arabia to the US. The 300,000-tonne (deadweight) supertanker, hijacked by nine pirates, was easy prey for pirates equipped with fast skiffs and grapnels as it moves slowly and could not outmanoeuvre the nimble sea-robbers and has a low freeboard. The Australian
 The largest ransom ever paid to Somali pirates has been dropped onto the deck of a Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying two million barrels of oil. The ransom delivered on Sunday is believed to be between $5.5m and $7m, according to unnamed sources interviewed by the Reuters news agency. With 28 crew members on board, the Maran Centaurus oil tanker was captured in November as it was crossing the Indian Ocean, northeast of the Seychelles islands. The tanker was sailing from Kuwait to the United States. The European Union's anti-piracy force says the crew includes one Romanian, two Ukrainians, nine Greeks and 16 Filipinos. Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Program told journalists in December that the hijacking was a "jackpot to the pirates" because a tanker full of oil is worth millions of dollars. The Greek ship was the second largest oil tanker seized by Somali pirates. In 2008, pirates hijacked the Saudi-owned Sirius Star. They eventually released the ship for a reported $3m ransom. World powers, including the European Union, Nato and the United States are running naval patrols off the Somali coast in an effort to protect commercial shipping. In response, the pirates have extended their reach, attacking ships up to 1,800km from Somalia, deep in the Indian Ocean. Al Jazeera 
 Kidnappings of foreigners is on the rise in North Africa as criminal cells seek financial and political gain. Four Saudis were killed and three seriously wounded in the latest of a series of kidnapping attempts as they were ambushed in the western Tillaberi region of Niger on Monday. According to a report in the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat the assailants were attempting to kidnap the Saudis with the intention of passing them on to Al-Qa'ida for profit. "By any standard the kidnappings are lucrative," Geoff Porter, Director in Eurasia Group's Middle East and Africa division told The Media Line. "By local standards of the Sahara, the kidnappings are astoundingly lucrative." Ransoms are rumored to reach millions of dollars. "Most Nigerians and a large number of Malian live on less than a dollar a day. Obviously, the kidnappings have their associated expenses, so ransoms are not pure profit, but the profit margin has to be higher than many other legal activities in the Sahara." Monday's incident went afoul when one of the Saudis opened fire in self-defense and triggered an exchange of fire, the report claimed. The kidnappers' cell numbers some 30 people and operates mostly on the border between Mali and Niger, and in holiday resorts. Tourists, especially Westerners, are reportedly targeted and handed over to Al-Qa'ida for a cut of the ransom money subsequently paid by governments. Algerian sources said a cell of Arab Nigerians headed by a weapons smuggler identified by the initials M.I. planned Monday's ambush with the intention of selling them to senior Al-Qa'ida member, Mokhtar Belmokhtar. Belmokhtar is associated with Al-Qa'ida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), an Algerian terrorist group aligned with the global Al-Qa'ida. "In the majority of instances the kidnappers' motives seem to be purely financial," Porter said. "There is one active AQIM member in the Sahara, Abdel Hamid Abu Zaid, who seems to be driven by genuine Salafi-Jihadi hostility toward non-Muslims and Europeans. He seems, however, to be in the distinct minority and even other AQIM members, for example Mokhtar Belmokhtar, seem to be motivated by profit rather than ideology." AQIM has claimed the majority of kidnappings that have plagued North Africa for the past year. The organization has also claimed responsibility for the abduction of an Italian couple earlier this month in Mauritania and the kidnapping of three Spanish nationals in Mauritania in late November. A spokesman for the organization told Al-Arabiyya satellite channel that the abduction of the Italians was tied to what he called Italy's crime in Iraq and Afghanistan. Italy says it will not negotiate with the terror organization and that it will not change its policies in Afghanistan. "The number of kidnappings has risen since December 2008," said Louis Caprioli, Director of the Department of International Security at GEOS, a risk management company. "There are several reasons for this," he told The Media Line. "First, AQIM has intensified its presence in Mauritania, Algeria and in the whole Sahel region." "Second, they are taking advantage of people from Mali and Mauritania to support them and lead their actions in those countries. They're benefiting from the many cells in those countries." "Another reason is that the security services in Mauritania, Mali and Niger do not have the equipment or the ability to fight these organizations," Caprioli added. "There's a huge difficulty in controlling this desert region of the Sahel." "Historically the Sahel is a region where a lot of illegal trafficking takes place," he explained. "Cigarettes, drugs, stolen cars and weapons - all this illegal trafficking has increased the criminality rate in this region. The illegal weapons trafficking benefited from the civil wars in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast." Governments very rarely admit they have paid ransom to secure the release of their nationals, Caprioli said. "I think that when a hostage is liberated it's not because of the kindness of the kidnappers," Caprioli said. "It's not a good solution but the governments don't have other solutions. The public opinion is also pressuring the governments to pay, so it's their only solution. One of the difficulties in the region is that the liberation of hostages by military means is really difficult. The problem is that the armies in Niger, Mauritania and Mali do not have the material means to lead operations to release hostages. Add to this the problem that usually the hostages are held in regions like north Mali, which are very difficult to access. They're held in no-man's land." Governments in the region are often prevented from accepting military assistance from foreign governments due to sovereignty considerations. "While states may oppose paying ransoms, many companies and some individuals buy Kidnap-and-Ransom insurance," Porter said. "These pay out a ransom in the event of being taken hostage." "Foreign firms that operate in kidnap-vulnerable areas include the cost of K&R insurance in their operating budgets," he added. "Obviously if ransoms were no longer being paid that would remove a huge incentive for the kidnappers, but when someone you know has been kidnapped, you are no longer looking at patterns and trends. Instead, you're focusing on resolving one particular situation and you pay the ransom." "The payment of ransoms has demonstrated that money can be made taking hostages," Porter explained. "Eventually the pace of kidnappings will level out, and then decline as the number of foreigners traveling to the region decreases. Travelers will become more and more aware of the risk and will no longer visit or pass through areas with a high likelihood of being kidnapped." Kidnappings that have taken place in North Africa over the past year: - December 2008. Two Canadian diplomats working for the United Nations are kidnapped in Niger. AQIM claims responsibility. They were released in April. Canada said no ransom was paid. JPost
 Somali pirates have seized an oil tanker, with 28 crew members on board, in the waters around East Africa. Officials on Monday confirmed the hijacking of the Greek-owned Maran Centaurus, which was carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States. Commander John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU naval force patrolling the region, said on Monday that the 300,000-tonne ship had been hijacked the previous day off the coast of Somalia. The ships 28-member crew is thought to consist of 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian. Officials could not immediately say how many barrels of oil were on board, but its value would be in the millions of dollars. Although pirates have successfully hijacked dozens of vessels in the last several years, Sunday's attack appears to be only the second ever on an oil tanker. "This is a jackpot to the pirates," Andrew Mwangura, from the East African Seafarers Assistance organisation in Nairobi, told Al Jazeera. In November 2008, pirates hijacked the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, which held two million barrels of oil valued at about $100m. The tanker was released last January for a reported $3m ransom. Piracy in the region has increased despite the ramping up of international navies patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Al Jazeera
 A CANADIAN journalist freed by Somali kidnappers today with Australian Nigel Brennan says she was beaten and tortured during her 15 months in captivity. Ms Lindhout said they were released today after a ransom "was paid by our families" to the kidnappers, she told Canadian television in a telephone interview from the hotel in Mogadishu were they were taken by Somali officials. "I believe they are taking that money and, as far as I understand, they plan on leaving the country," Ms Lindhout told CTV News Channel. "It's a long story. It's been sort of going on for the last couple of weeks, and tonight finally everything came together and the men who had kidnapped us turned us over to the federal government in Somalia." Ms Lindhout said she was beaten and tortured while in captivity. "It was extremely oppressive. I was kept by myself at all times. I had no one to speak to. I was normally kept in a room with a light, no window, I had nothing to write on or with. There was very little food. I was allowed to use the toilet exactly five times a day," she said. "There were times that I was beaten, that I was tortured. It was an extremely, extremely difficult situation." She said the kidnappers told her they were beating her because the money "wasn't coming quickly enough". "They seemed to think that if they beat me enough, then when I was able to speak to my mother - which they would put me on the line with her every couple of months - that I would be able to say the right thing to convince her to pay the ransom for me, which was $1 million," she said. "Of course, my family didn't have $1 million and it didn't matter what I said to them. But they didn't really understand that. They thought: She's Canadian, everyone in Canada is rich. She must have $1 million." One of the kidnappers, who refused to identify himself, said that a ransom of $US1 million ($1.08 million) had been paid for the pair's release. Their release was confirmed by an independent source in the Somali capital Mogadishu to an AFP journalist. Ms Lindhout and Mr Brennan were in a Mogadishu hotel today, pending their departure from Somalia tomorrow. A hotel employee said the two journalists were "very tired" following the end of their ordeal, one of the longest-running of many kidnappings in the lawless country. Mr Brennan has told Australia's Channel 7 network he is relieved and safe and looking forward to going home. A Somali journalist and two drivers were also taken hostage but were freed after 177 days in captivity. They were unable to identify their captors or the motives for the kidnappings. The Australian
 Iraqi children are becoming prominent targets of terrorist attacks in the form of kidnappings, rape and murder, Iraqi officials say. An official at the Iraqi Interior Ministry said there were several cases where organized gangs were carrying out these crimes, but added that many of the criminals had been arrested and brought to justice, according to the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper. Safia a-Suheil, an Iraqi MP, said, "Recently the practice of targeting children by killing, kidnapping and raping them has mushroomed." These kidnappings constituted a "new terrorism tactic" since it was undermining the country as a whole, she said. In many cases, children are abducted and the kidnappers demand a ransom in exchange for their safe return. "It's been going on since the beginning of the war," an international aid worker in Iraq told The Media Line. "But it's been getting a lot more attention lately." Penalties for such cases include the death sentence. "There's an obvious failure to tackle issues related to children in Iraq," Suheil said. "There are several practices which have spread in Iraqi society and that need to be addressed and tackled, including child labor, which has become one of the most dangerous forms of violence that children are facing. "A high number of Iraqi children look for work on the streets and in markets because of difficult living conditions, which is partially a result of terrorism suffered by those looking after them," she said. "That shouldn't prevent a search for new and alternative means, including allocating part of the Iraqi state budget to provide for them and their families." Suheil recommended that a special unit be set up in the Interior Ministry's division for combating terrorism, to tackle this problem by increasing security around schools and public parks, which have become popular spots for families since the security situation began to improve. JPost
 A 79-year-old Irish Roman Catholic priest abducted in the Philippines a month ago was freed early Thursday and neither country paid any of the kidnappers' $2 million ransom demand, Irish and Filipino authorities said. The Rev. Michael Sinnott said he was not harmed but complained of arduous journeys as kidnappers took him by sea and through jungles to evade government troops. "I was treated well. Once I had been kidnapped and brought to the boat, that was very rough," he told Manila's ABS-CBN television from a military camp in southern Zamboanga city. He said he was not angry with the kidnappers, whom the Philippine government suspected had ties with a large Muslim rebel group. "They gave me lectures on their ideology but apart from that, they treated me well." Irish President Mary McAleese called Sinnott's freedom the answer to the shared prayers of millions in both countries. "He is clearly a man of great resilience, strength and courage and we wish him well as he seeks to recover from such a trying ordeal," Mrs. McAleese said. And Prime Minister Brian Cowen said the government would help the priest enjoy "a speedy reunion with his family and friends." Six armed men abducted Sinnott Oct. 11 from his missionary home on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, escaped by speedboat, and took him into the jungle. Officials had feared he could suffer a fatal heart attack because he was still recovering from heart-bypass surgery. Rumors persisted that he had died in captivity. Philippine security officials blamed Rev. Sinnott's kidnaping on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a separatist group that has fought for decades for Muslim self-rule in the predominantly Catholic country. But the rebels denied involvement. Rebel leader Mohagher Iqbal said his group applied "pressure and our moral authority" on the kidnappers to release Rev. Sinnott. Chief Philippine negotiator Rafael Seguis credited Moro rebel leadership with persuading the kidnappers to hand over the priest. Senior military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said Sinnott was debriefed in the southern military camp before flying to Manila later Thursday to be greeted by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Maj. Dolorfino and Mr. Seguis said Philippine authorities paid no ransom. Read more here,,,, Source: WSJ
 Somali pirates who kidnapped a British couple from their yacht last week have warned against any effort to rescue them, saying they would “burn their bones” should such an attempt be made.
The couple and the pirates had both been in touch with a number of media outlets recently.
While the couple voiced concerns about their safety and spoke of their ordeal, the pirates made ransom demands in their phone interviews.
Paul and Rachel Chandler were sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania in the Indian Ocean on their 11.6-metre boat called Lynn Rival when they were kidnapped. A distress signal was sent out on October 23.
The pirates forced the pair to sail towards Somalia after their boat was captured.
The British navy found their empty yacht on Thursday and it is believed the couple were taken to the pirate stronghold of Harardhere, a coastal town which lies within Somali borders. Among talks that the pirates have had with the media, one included a call to a Spanish television station that was monitored by a EU-led warship, in which Mohammed Hussein, a pirate, threatened to “burn their bones”.
“We are telling Britain that any bullet of our friends on the yacht will be big cries for the families of the two old people we held,” said Mr Hussein in broken English. Read more here,,,, Source: The National
 LUXOR, Egypt — Egyptian police say they have arrested a woman who had claimed she was kidnapped together with her young female cousin in hopes of bilking relatives out of the $55,000 ransom. Brigadier el-Shafei Mohammed Hassan, chief investigator in the southern city of Luxor, told reporters Sunday that the 20-year-old woman had come up with the kidnapping scheme with her father to extract the money from the wealthy parents of her 4-year-old cousin. They wanted the money to help out her father and pay for her wedding plans. Hassan said the woman was arrested in downtown Cairo and she led police to where the young girl was being kept. Kidnapping for ransom is uncommon in Egypt. But hundreds of people go missing every year, and many of the cases go unsolved. Source: FoxNews
 CAIRO — Egyptian police say kidnappers have snatched a young girl and her cousin in the southern city of Luxor and are demanding about $55,000 for their release. Al-Shafei Mohamed, a police investigator in Luxor, says the girl's father, a wealthy businessman, reported the kidnapping Saturday. Ahmed Hassan, a family friend, says the 4-year-old girl and her 20-year-old female cousin were kidnapped during a family celebration Friday night. He said it was unclear who carried out the kidnapping. Kidnapping for ransom is uncommon in Egypt. But hundreds of people go missing every year, and many of the cases go unsolved. Luxor, where the kidnapping took place, is a famed ancient city known for its pharaonic temples. Source: FoxNews
 Richard Kerbaj, Baghdad Even then he was able to gather only $US8000 ($9035) of the $US50,000 demanded by Ahmed's captors. The kidnappers eventually dropped their ransom to $US20,000 - still more than twice the amount Mr Amoore could possibly raise- after the confectionery shop owner in east Baghdad pleaded that their information about his supposed wealth was untrue. Mr Amoore, angered and tormented by the kidnappers, then decided to gamble with his son's life. "Just kill him," said the father of four during a heated telephone negotiation with the lead captor. "Just kill him and I'll consider I've given his soul as a gift to God." Four hours later the kidnappers released Ahmed unharmed, but only after they had received $US10,000 in payment. Kidnapping has overtaken burglaries, robberies, car theft and other crimes to become the biggest criminal activity in many areas of Baghdad.
Insurgents and gangsters are increasingly abducting children to raise funds for terrorism or line their pockets. These days, money has become the main motive for kidnapping, unlike during the civil war in Baghdad in 2006 and 2007 when people were captured and killed for sectarian reasons, according to Brigadier General Faisal Malik Mohsin, commander of the Iraqi Federal Police's al-Rasheed district in southwest Baghdad. Women are playing a bigger role because they are less likely to arouse suspicion, he said. They are paid by gangs to abduct the children, but negotiations for the captive's return are handled by male gang leaders. Read more here,,,, Source: The Australian
Egyptian fishermen on two boats captured four months ago by Somali pirates have escaped from their captors, officials say. Police information indicated that two Egyptian fishing boats, held off Lasqorey coast in Somalia's breakaway Puntland region, broke free on Thursday after overpowering the pirates holding them.
There were also unconfirmed reports that some of the pirates had been killed. Authorities in Puntland said the fishermen had been arrested, and their boats seized, by local security forces in April for illegal offshore activities. It was not clear how many fishermen were on board the boats during Thursday's getaway, with reports of up to 30 being held. Mohammed Adow, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya, said the fishermen had made a "daring and dramatic escape" by taking matters into their own hands. "The pirates were celebrating the release of an Italian tug boat which had been taken alongside the two Egyptian fishing boats and the pirates had been given $4m in ransom. "The five pirates guarding the boats were said to be drunk, and the fishermen took advantage of that and attacked the pirates. They are said to have killed two of them and sailed off to Yemen," he said.
Our correspondent said the case highlights how illegal fishing off Somalia's coast is one of the "core issues creating the continuation of piracy". "The Somali pirates are saying they are just doing what they are doing to guard their country's resouces, and particularly the country's marine resources, which they say all kinds of people from different nationalities are coming in to take advantage of their country's lack of central authority."
Local residents also reported seeing the boats leaving the coast. "I think some of the pirates are dead because one of them told me that the crews fought them and managed to get away with the boats," Ali Guled, a pirate in Lasqorey village, told the AFP news agency. In a related development, amid concern about a possible rise in attacks as the monsoon winds ease, officials from the region met military officials from Nato's anti-piracy force on Thursday. "We had talks with the Nato military officials on board one of their ships ... in order to prevent the pirates from carrying out attacks after the monsoon winds end," Muse Gele Yusuf, a Puntland governor, said. Source: Al Jazeera (English)
SOMALI pirates yesterday released an Italian-operated, British-owned cargo ship that was seized in April, two maritime watchdog organisations said. "The MV Malspina Castle was freed by her captors at around 5.30pm local time (0030 AEST) ... after a ransom had been delivered," said Ecoterra International, an environmentalist group that monitors piracy and other illegal marine activities in the region.
Andrew Mwangura, who runs the East African Seafarers Assistance Program, also confirmed the vessel had been freed.
The 30,000-tonne bulk carrier, ferrying iron ore with a crew of 24, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on April 6, the same day a Taiwanese vessel was taken near the Seychelles.
The pirates first held it near Garaad and later moved it to Eyl in Somalia's northern breakaway region of Puntland.
"The crew is said to be all right," said Ecoterra. It included 16 sailors from Bulgaria, four Filipinos, two Ukrainians, a Russian and an Indian.
At least 19 ships are still being held by Somali pirates along with several hundred mariners.
In the first quarter of 2009, 102 piracy incidents were reported to the International Maritime Bureau, nearly double the number during the same period in 2008.
Foreign naval ships, including from NATO and the European Union, have thwarted several hijacking attempts and made dozens of arrests.
A gang of 28 Muslims known as 'the barbarians' go on trial today accused of the 24-day torture and murder of a young Jewish man that appalled France due to its brutality and apparent anti-Semitism.By Henry Samuel in Paris | 28 April Ilan Halimi: The 23-year-old was in a state of shock and unable to talk, his body covered with burns, cuts and bruises, and he died en route to hospital. Ilan Halimi was lured into a honey trap, kidnapped and tortured for three weeks, before being found naked and handcuffed to a tree near a railway track in February 2006. The 23-year-old was in a state of shock and unable to talk, his body covered with burns, cuts and bruises, and he died en route to hospital. The alleged gang leader, Youssouf Fofana, and 26 others are to answer various charges during the trial, which will be held behind closed doors before a Paris juvenile court because two defendants were minors at the time of the crime. Prosecutors describe Mr Fofana, 28, as a "perverted megalomaniac" bent on kidnapping Jews for ransom "because they are loaded with dough" and "stick together". He escaped to the Ivory Coast shortly after the murder but was arrested and extradited to France. Also known as "Ossama" and "Mohammed", Mr Fofana initially admitted to the murder but has since changed his story several times, often lapsing into unintelligible anti-Semitic rants. He has switched lawyers almost 40 times and has already served a one-year jail sentence for insulting officers and a judge. The French-born son of Ivorian immigrants is the only defendant facing a life sentence, while 15 others are facing charges of kidnapping and sequestering. As the gang's alleged ringleader, he is accused of stabbing Mr Halimi and dousing his body with rubbing alcohol before setting him alight because the victim "looked at him in the eyes" before he was let go. Several other defendants are friends and family members of the gang, who come from the Paris suburbs and who are being prosecuted for having failed to report an offence. Mr Halimi went missing on January 20, 2006 while on a date with a 17-year old girl he had met at the mobile phone store where he worked near République, central Paris. It is alleged the girl turned out to be an accomplice of Mr Fofana and part of a well-prepared plot to lure him to a basement of a building in a Paris suburb. There, he was attacked, subdued with ether, handcuffed and his feet and mouth bound with tape. He was moved to an empty apartment in the Paris suburb of Bagneux. Mr Fofana demanded 450,000 euros from his family. Photographs showing the hostage blindfolded and gaunt, and an audio message of the hostage pleading for his life were released by his captors. A videotaped plea was also sent to the captive's parents. When no ransom was forthcoming, Mr Fofana's accomplices turned against the gang leader, arguing the kidnapping had gone far enough, say prosecutors. On February 13, Mr Fofana told them he planned to release Mr Halimi, who was loaded into the trunk of a stolen car. Three hours later, a train driver spotted his nude body next to the railroad tracks and alerted police. He died on the way to hospital. The then president, Jacques Chirac, met the parents and promised to bring the culprits to justice. The victim's mother has accused police of having botched the investigation by ruling out anti-Semitism as a factor in the crime. "If Ilan wasn't Jewish, he wouldn't have been killed," she claimed. Ruth Halimi is expected to urge the court to open the hearings to the public today to provide a full accounting of her son's death. But Michel Wieviorka, the author of a book on anti-Semitism in France, said: "The motive was money first and anti-Semitism was an additional factor. But at the outset, it was not aimed at expressing hatred toward Jews." Prosecutors believe the gang had used women to lure nine other men in the kidnapping scheme but that these attempts failed. The "Barbarians" also tried to racketeer several doctors and company bosses. All deny murder. Source: Telegraph UK
H/T GH
 “The Admiral Panteleev (destroyer) captured Tuesday at 1412 GMT a boat carrying pirates. In total, 29 people were arrested,” the ministry said in a statement. “Seven Kalachnikov machine-guns, handguns of different calibres, equipment including satellite navigation devices and a large number of empty shells were discovered on board the boat,” the ministry said, adding that an investigation has been opened. These arrests would dwarf the numbers seized in other recent operations by international military forces patrolling the waters off the Gulf of Aden in the last year. The question of where any eventual trial for the 29 might take place will also come to the fore. Trials relating to a spiralling upsurge in pirate attacks in the region over the last year are largely being hosted by Kenya, following agreements with the European Union, the US and Britain. Eleven Somalis are currently awaiting trial in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa for piracy after their high-seas arrest by the French navy deny. But a Somali teenager captured by US forces in a high-seas drama is to stand trial in New York on piracy charges - the first in the US for a century - that could put him in jail for life. Despite international naval missions - including from NATO and the European Union - ransom-hunting Somalis have tackled ever-bigger and more distant prizes. Without an effective central government since 1991, Somali pirates are currently holding at least 16 ships and more than 250 seamen to ransom. According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks off the lawless Horn of Africa nation increased tenfold in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2008, jumping from six to 61.
THE US ship captain being held hostage in a lifeboat by pirates off Somalia managed to jump off the boat but failed to escape his captors, US networks have reported. Captain Richard Phillips jumped into the water during the night and tried to swim towards the nearby US destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, but pirates jumped into the water and recaptured him, three television networks reported. US military officials said Captain Phillips was fine, and that the pirates did not hurt him. The pirate commander said that he was demanding a ransom to free Captain Phillips. "We are demanding to get ransom and to return home safely before releasing the captain," Abdi Garad said. Mr Garad also said their men were negotiating with the US navy "not to be arrested if they release the captain and the American officials will hopefully fulfil that condition otherwise the captain will not be released." Source: The Australian
 Beverly Giesbrecht, a.k.a. Khadija Abdul QahaarSaturday, April 04 MIRAMSHAH/PESHAWAR: Taliban militants holding the Canadian woman Khadija Abdul Qahaar in North Waziristan tribal region on Friday circulated a pamphlet threatening to kill her if their demand for ransom was not met by tomorrow (Sunday).The militants had earlier set March 31 deadline while demanding 2 million dollars ransom. Subsequently, they extended the deadline to April 3. Now they have warned that the new deadline of April 5 is final.In a hand-written pamphlet, circulated in parts of North Waziristan by an unknown organisation “Gumnam Mujahideen-e-Islam,” (Anonymous fighters for Islam), the militants alleged the Canadian woman was not a journalist but was sent by the government of Canada to spy on the Taliban in North Waziristan. “We once again ask the Pakistan and Canadian governments to accept our demands by April 5, or else we will kill Khadija Abdul Qahaar because she is not a journalist and came to Pakistan on a mission to spy for the Canadian government. Under the Islamic laws, her punishment is death. Until now, not a single official of the Pakistan and Canadian governments has approached us. April 5 is the final deadline,” said the pamphlet made available to The News. It may be mentioned here that the Canadian government has reportedly refused to negotiate with the kidnappers or pay ransom. Paying ransom is said to be against the policy of Canada. In a letter, the Canadian government pledged to send its own security personnel to help the Pakistani law-enforcement agencies’ efforts for the recovery of the aged woman journalist and her two Pakistani helpers. Interestingly, the Taliban accused her of being a Canadian spy and threatened to kill her if their demands were not met before expiry of the deadline. However, despite being charged as a Canadian spy, the Taliban were ready to set her free if they were paid two million dollars. Sources close to militants in North Waziristan said the militants extended their deadline on appeals from local journalists and tribal elders. Also, there were reports that a delegation comprising local Ulema and pro-government tribal elders was sent to the Taliban commanders by the government to request them not to kill the hostage. The sources said the militants had been frustrated with cold response of the Pakistan and Canadian governments and their reluctance to pay such a huge ransom for her release. Source: The News International H/T: Weasel Zippers
 January 11, 2009
SIX Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of the ransom when their boat capsized as it left the vessel, their leader said yesterday.
Four others were missing with their share of the $3m payoff, which been parachuted on to the tanker on Friday, Mohamed Said said by phone from the port of Harardhere.
"The small boat that was carrying those killed and eight who survived was overloaded ... they were afraid of a chase from outsiders (foreign navies of the combined maritime forces)," he said.
Mohamud Aden, a resident of the port off which the tanker had been anchored watched by the warships, said: "The capsize was an accident. The pirates were full of joy and partially frightened by the presence of foreign war machines and were speeding.
That was a tragedy for the pirates." In all, several dozen raiders had held the ship and its 25-member crew, including two Britons, to ransom.
They were well-armed and disciplined but as soon as they got the ransom a shootout nearly broke out, it was reported. The 1,080ft Sirius Star, owned by Aramco, is the largest vessel hijacked by the Somali pirates.
It was seized in November in the Indian Ocean, well outside the raiders' usual operating area. The tanker was carrying 2m barrels of oil, more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output and worth an estimated $100m.
Its capture was seen as a dramatic demonstration of the pirates' ability to strike hundreds of miles offshore. The tanker's crew included second officer Jim Grady, from Renfrewshire, and chief engineer Peter French, from Co Durham.
Yesterday they were looking forward to coming home, though latest reports said the ship was still anchored off Harardhere. More than 100 ships were attacked off the Horn of Africa last year and maritime officials said the problem was out of control.
The pirates were said to have raked in $120m and still hold some 14 merchant ships and 300 crew.
The Sirius Star's release came as the US Fifth Fleet announced that a taskforce targeting piracy would be launching later this month. Nato and the European Union have warships in the Gulf and the Chinese navy has said it will assist. Source: The Australian Drowned Somali Pirates
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 November 25, 2008
MOGADISHU: Tension mounted yesterday between pirates holding a Saudi tanker and Islamist fighters threatening to attack them, with a week remaining for the ship's owners to meet a $US25million ($40million) ransom demand.
"If the pirates want peace, they had better release the tanker," said Sheik Ahmed, a spokesman for the Shebab group in the coastal region of Harardhere.
The Shebab (youth) armed group, which controls much of southern and central Somalia and rejects an internationally backed peace process, has positioned fighters in and around Harardhere in recent days.
The Sirius Star, a tanker carrying about $US100million worth of crude oil and owned by Saudi Aramco, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on November 15. Pirates have anchored it off their base in Harardhere, north of Mogadishu, and demanded the ransom be paid by November 30.
Islamist leaders have stressed that piracy is a capital offence under Islam and condemned the surge in acts of piracy in Somalia's waters. Mohamed Said, a member of the pirate group holding the Sirius Star, retorted that his men were not afraid of the Shebab's threats.
Some Harardhere residents have argued the Shebab are divided over the issue of piracy and that some of the Islamist fighters have moved in only to claim a share of the ransom.
Members of the pirate group said talks were under way with Saudi Aramco's shipping arm and gave assurances that the crew would not be harmed.
The capture of the Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, has caused panic in the shipping world. Companies are now re-routing deliveries via the Cape of Good Hope. Source: The Australian
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AT least four people were killed overnight during intense fighting between rival Somali pirates in the town of Harardhere arguing over a record ransom, elders and pirates say. 
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