Somali pirates who hijacked an oil tanker and took its eight crew members hostage have released the vessel and crew in return for their freedom.
The announcement came hours after the hijackers and naval forces exchanged gunfire over a boat believed to be carrying supplies to the pirates, the BBC reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One of the hijackers, identified only as Abdullahi, told Reuters the ransom demand was dropped during negotiations with security officials.
The Daily Telegraph reports the pirates "were not arrested but instead were given passage to leave once they disembarked".
The eight Sri Lankan crew were released unharmed.
Monday's hijacking "followed an outpouring of anger by locals over foreign fishermen flooding into their waters," says The Guardian. Somalis are "also angry with their government for licensing some of the ships".
The tanker was en route from Djibouti to Mogadishu when it was seized just off the coast of Somalia.
It is the first such incident in five years in a region once overrun with pirates. In previous cases, crews remained in captivity for years before a ransom was paid.
-
Choline: the ‘under-appreciated’ nutrientThe Explainer Studies link choline levels to accelerated ageing, anxiety, memory function and more
-
Is a Putin-Modi love-in a worry for the rest of the world?Today’s Big Question The Indian leader is walking a ‘tightrope’ between Russia and the United States
-
Quiz of The Week: 29 November – 5 DecemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
