Somali Pirates Attack Maersk Alabama Again

As piracy intensifies in the Indian Ocean, seaborne raiders tried again on Wednesday to commandeer the Maersk Alabama, the first American-flag ship seized by pirates last April. The United States Navy Central Command said four suspected pirates in a skiff came within 300 yards of the Maersk Alabama at 6.30 a.m. Wednesday about 600 miles off the northeast coast of Somalia as it headed for the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

But a security team on board the Maersk Alabama responded with small-arms fire, long-range acoustical devices painful to the human ear and evasive maneuvers to thwart the attack. “Due to Maersk Alabama following maritime industry’s best practices such as embarking security teams, the ship was able to prevent being successfully attacked by pirates,” said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of the Central Command. “This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take pro-active action to prevent being attacked.”

In a separate incident, the captain of a hijacked chemical tanker was reported to have died of gunshot wounds inflicted when pirates seized the MV Theresa with 28 North Korean crew members northwest of the Seychelles on Monday. The spate of attacks reflected the increasing boldness of pirates roaming far from their bases in Somalia to seize vessels and sailors to hold for ransom.

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Suspected Somali pirates taken to Spain

The Spanish Defense Ministry says two Somalis arrested for allegedly taking part in the hijacking of a Spanish trawler have been brought to Madrid and placed in custody. The two are suspected of helping in the Oct. 2 hijacking of the Alakrana tuna vessel with 36 crew members aboard, some 375 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.

The ship is anchored near an undisclosed Somali port while authorities work to free the ship's crew and vessel. Eleven pirates are believed to be in control of the ship.

The two detainees were captured by Spanish naval forces as they left the Alakrana in a skiff two days after the hijacking. They arrived Monday and will be brought before Judge Baltasar Garzon to face possible charges of kidnapping, criminal association and theft.

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Mexican police end hijack drama

As if they didn't have enough to worry about with fighting drug cartels, Mexican police have freed more than 100 people unharmed after a jet flying from Cancun to Mexico City was hijacked by a man claiming to be on a divine mission. Bolivian-born Jose Flores Pereira threatened to blow up the plane unless he could warn Mexican President Felipe Calderon of an "impending earthquake".

Mr Flores told flight attendants that a canned drink he had was a bomb. Police stormed the Aeromexico plane after it had landed in Mexico City and women and children were allowed off. Several people were initially arrested and taken away in handcuffs as Mr Flores said he had accomplices, but police later said there had been only one hijacker and no bombs on board.

Flores had told flight attendants that he had three accomplices, "the Father, Son and Holy Ghost". He said that he acted on 9 September 2009, because the numbers 9/9/9 were the inverse of 6/6/6, the number linked to the Anti-Christ. "Christ is coming soon," Mr Flores told journalists.

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