U.S. Navy Seizes 7 Suspected Pirates After Attempted Hijacking
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. Navy has seized seven suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden after a merchant ship sent a distress call saying gunmen had tried to board it from a skiff.
Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, says the Marshal Islands-flagged Polaris sent the call on Wednesday afternoon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The USS Vella Gulf raced to the location where U.S. sailors boarded the skiff.
Christensen says the suspects were armed with AK-47s and RPGs. They will eventually be handed over to Kenya.
It was the Navy's first arrest since a new U.S. anti-pirate task force was established to deal with the escalating piracy problem in the Gulf.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It also follows an agreement last month with Kenya for the U.S. to hand over arrested pirates.