Saturday, January 22, 2011

Malaysia holds 7 Somali pirates after saving ship

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S leader says the country's navy is holding at least seven Somali pirates after thwarting an attempt to hijack a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

The Royal Malaysian Navy says its commandos injured three pirates in a gunbattle and rescued 23 crew members of the Malaysian-owned MT Bunga Laurel late on Thursday.

The navy said in a statement that the rescue was carried out within less than two hours after pirates stormed the vessel with pistols and assault rifles.


Crew members had locked themselves in a safe room and activated a distress call.

Prime Minister Najib Razak told a news conference late on Friday that authorities are considering whether the pirates should be brought to Malaysia to face trial for the hijack attempt. -- AP


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