January 3, 2009
London (United Kingdom) According to European Union sources, French forces on Saturday, swooped on “suspected” Somali pirates, accused of attempting to hijack a cargo vessel off the Somali coast.
Officials say the eight men were intercepted by Premier Maitre L’Her, a French frigate patrolling the waters as part of an EU taskforce.
The pirates have been handed over to Puntland, a state in north-eastern Somalia, according to officials.
EU officials say another set of armed pirates had escaped.
The Somali pirates armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades were said to have attempted repeatedly to board a Greek oil tanker Kriti Episkopi.
But the pirates fled when the crew turned fire hoses on them and EU aircraft were called from a naval flotilla, officials said.
