Somali militia capture 12 pirates, others await trial

Apr 28, 2009, 16:02 GMT

Nairobi/Mogadishu - Somali fishermen who have decided to fight back against piracy are holding 12 pirates while nine men accused of attacking an Italian cruise ship were in custody in the Seychelles, reports said Tuesday.

Regional leaders at Alula and Bargaal in the northern Puntland region told the BBC they were tired of the problems pirates were causing and had formed local militia groups to tackle the issue.

They said that they seized three boats, one of which escaped, in a recent operation and bagged 12 pirates in the operation.

Meanwhile, the Seychelles said in a statement that the nine men accused of attacking the MS Melody on Saturday were in a prison cell and awaiting trial.

The Spanish frigate Numancia on Sunday intercepted and arrested the nine alleged pirates before handing them over to the Seychelles' authorities.

A French and an Indian warship, as well as a helicopter and two surveillance planes also participated in the operation.

Six pirates armed with automatic rifles attacked the cruise ship with 991 passengers and 536 crew on board Saturday evening, but the MS Melody, owned by Italy's MSC Crociere SA was able to fend them off, with security personnel returning fire.

The attack happened about 330 kilometres off the Seychelles on the open sea about 1,100 kilometres from the Somali coast.

Pirates have been terrorising the coastal waters of Somalia - part of one of the world's busiest shipping lanes - as they seek multi- million dollar ransoms.

They have hijacked 25 ships since the beginning of the year and are holding over 250 crew members.