Pirates!

Okay - here's a forced update to my world view: Piracy is alive and well.

(H/t to DangerRoom)

Pirates captured a luxury yacht last week off the Horn of Africa. They took 30 hostages and demanded a ransom.

The French government obliged with two million dollars, and the ship and crew were released.

Then, the French took their money back.

An hour after the pirates had accepted a $2m (£1m) ransom and released the yacht and its 30-strong crew, they were attacked on shore by French military helicopters.


[...]

Naval captain Christophe Prazuck, the spokesman for the French military chiefs of staff, said: "There were four helicopters involved. A sniper [in a Puma helicopter] shot out the motor of the pirates' four-wheel drive vehicle. A second helicoper [a Gazelle] then landed nearby, allowing the six pirates to be arrested under covering fire from two other [Gazelle] helicopters. We are absolutely sure that there were no collateral victims."

[...]

France intends to put the six men on trial for piracy in a French court. At least eight other pirates are believed to have escaped.

Yeah! Take that, you pirate-guys!

But wait! There's more! (Via DR and the Daily Dispatch)

SPAIN worked yesterday to try to win the release of a fishing boat hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia with 26 crew members aboard.

[...]

Spanish media reports said the pirates were demanding money and had fired a grenade launcher at the fishing boat before boarding it, but the Foreign Ministry would not confirm either detail.

Spain has sent one of its frigates after the pirates, and is spooling up diplomatic efforts to release the hostages.

And yesterday, a UAE vessel was seized by pirates before the Somali security forces stormed the vessel and took it back.

Weird.

I'm curious how piracy even works in an age with Satellite imagery and telecommunications. It's not like you've got anywhere to run to.