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Somali pirates demand $35 million ransom for ship
Somali pirates demanded a $35 million ransom on Saturday for a Ukrainian ship they seized carrying 33 tanks and other military supplies to Kenya, a maritime official said.
"The gunmen are demanding $35 million to release the MV Faina and her crew," said Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
Kenya's military said they had not made contact with the Somali pirates holding the ship, local media reported.
The 21 crew members aboard the ship include 17 Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians.
Pirates have captured more than 30 vessels off Somalia this year, making its waters the most dangerous in the world and threatening a globally important shipping lane between Europe and Asia. The gangs seek, and often receive, large ransoms.
The Ukrainian ship, sailing under a Belize flag, is carrying 33 T-72 tanks as well as grenade launchers and ammunition bound for Kenya.
The haul is a significant seizure in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents have been fighting the government and its Ethiopian military ally for nearly two years.
Kenyan media reported that the pirates had warned against any rescue attempts. Kenya's government said it would not negotiate with pirates.
"We will endeavor to recover the hijacked ship and military cargo," a government statement said.
Russia's navy said it had sent a warship to Somalia's Indian Ocean coast to conduct anti-piracy patrols in the area. Somali pirates demanded a $35 million ransom on Saturday for a Ukrainian ship they seized carrying 33 tanks and other military supplie... more -
Hijackers demand passage to Paris
Hijackers who forced a Sudanese plane to land in Libya have demanded that it be refuelled so that it can fly on to Paris.
"The pilot relayed to the airport head that the hijackers do not want any negotiations and they have only one demand: that the plane be refuelled to go to Paris," Libya's state news agency Jana said on Wednesday, quoting Khaled Sassia, head of the airport in Kufrah, southeastern Libya.
The hijackers asked for maps to guide their flight path from Kufrah to Paris, it added.
Jana added that according to the pilot, there could be 10 or more hijackers on the plane.
A Libyan official at the airport said the hijackers belonged to the Darfur rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul-Wahid Nour.
But Yahia Bolad, a spokesman for the group, denied any involvement, saying his group had "no relation to this act".
The hijackers dismissed offers by Libyan authorities to provide the passengers with food and also rejected a request that passengers who had fainted because of inadequate air conditioning in the plane be given medical treatment, the Libyan news agency said.
The Sudanese passenger plane was reported to have nearly 100 people on board.
The Sun Air Boeing 737 was hijacked shortly after it took off from Nyala, the largest city in Sudan's Darfur region, on Tuesday, bound for Khartoum, airline officials said.
"After 20 minutes the pilot called Nyala airport to say the plane had been hijacked and that he is en route to Tripoli in Libya," one employee said.
A Sudanese government official told Al Jazeera that the hijacking was carried out by a "knife-wielding Sudanese man who threatened the pilot, and demanded that the plane be re-routed to Paris".
Libya's civil aviation authority later confirmed the plane had landed at the airport in remote Kufrah, an oasis town in the country's southeast.
The aircraft diverted to Libya after the authorities in Egypt refused permission for it to land in Cairo. Hijackers who forced a Sudanese plane to land in Libya have demanded that it be refuelled so that it can fly on to Paris. ... more -
Pirates hijack 3 ships off Somalia
Pirates hijacked three ships off the coast of Somalia on Thursday in the "worst number of attacks" in one day in many years, an international maritime watchdog said. Pirates hijacked three ships off the coast of Somalia on Thursday in the "worst number of attacks" in one day in many years,... more
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Suspect In Hijacking Of San Francisco Computer Network 'Willing To Cooperate&...
A computer engineer accused of taking control of San Francisco's network and locking out other system administrators has pleaded innocent to four counts of computer tampering.
Terry Childs, 43, of Pittsburg, Calif., was arraigned on charges Thursday before Superior Court Judge Paul Alvarado, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He remained in jail Friday on $5 million bail.
Childs has refused to disclose the password he allegedly created to lock out other system administrators and supervisors from the city's new FiberWAN (wide area network), which stores 60% of all city government data, including e-mails, law enforcement records, and payroll documents.
However, Childs' court-appointed lawyer Erin Crane said after the arraignment that the case was a big misunderstanding and that the suspect has "been willing to hand over the password since Tuesday," the Chronicle reported. Crane said Childs is "willing to cooperate. We have negotiations ongoing."
Officials with the city Technology Department told the newspaper they were unaware of any offer to hand over the password, and a spokeswoman for District Attorney Kamala Harris refused to comment on any talks between the suspect and prosecutors.
Childs, a member of the team of engineers that built the city's computer system, was highly regarded in the Technology Department. The events leading up to his arrest on Sunday started June 20 when he started taking photographs of the agency's new head of security after she began an audit of who had password access to the system, the newspaper said. Childs' frightening behavior prompted the woman to lock herself in an office.
His supervisors' concerns grew when they discovered he had given himself exclusive access to the system and had developed a way to spy on his bosses' e-mails related to his conduct. Childs was ordered to leave work July 9 for alleged insubordination. A computer engineer accused of taking control of San Francisco's network and locking out other system administrators has pleaded ... more -
Naked Man Hijacks Las Vegas Bus
Maybe he lost his shirt at a casino. Police in Las Vegas say they arrested a naked man who stole a beer and then hijacked a bus several miles northeast of the Strip. Maybe he lost his shirt at a casino. Police in Las Vegas say they arrested a naked man who stole a beer and then hijacked a bus severa... more
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Pirates Seize Spanish Fishing boat near Somalia
The BBC Reports:
A Spanish naval frigate is heading for the area off Somalia where pirates seized a Spanish fishing boat with 26 crew on board, officials say.
FACTS:
The Playa de Bakio - a Basque tuna boat - was attacked about 250 miles (400km) off the coast on Saturday.
Somali coastal waters are among the most hazardous in the world.
The Spanish trawler's crew consists of 13 Spaniards and 13 Africans.
The Spanish government is now trying to locate the boat.
A Basque regional government source said the trawler was in "international waters" when it was attacked. The BBC Reports: ... more -
Six Pirates Captured in Somalia Yacht Hijacking
French officials on Friday said six pirates have been captured in connection with a Somali hijacking.
The French president's office says the pirates are now being held on a French Navy vessel. The president's office made the announcement Friday.
Pirates earlier had freed 30 hostages held aboard a French tourist yacht off Somalia's coast for the past week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday.
In a statement, Sarkozy thanked the French army and other French agencies "that allowed a quick end" to the hostage-taking. The statement did not elaborate on the role of the French military, but said the hostages were freed "without incident." French officials on Friday said six pirates have been captured in connection with a Somali hijacking. ... more -
Pirates Hijack French Yacht Off Africa's Eastern Coast
An aerial photo from France's military shows gunmen aboard the yacht Le Ponant Friday. Pirates seized the vessel off Somalia's coast, taking 30 crew members hostage. A French warship was tracking the yacht, but Prime Minister Francois Fillon said he hoped to avoid using force.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (April 6) - France has made contact with pirates who hijacked a French luxury yacht off Africa's eastern coast with 30 French and Ukrainian crew members on board, the French foreign minister said Sunday.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told France-Inter radio that France was in contact with the pirates.
"We have established contact, and the case may take a long time," he said, without providing more details. Asked whether France would consider paying a ransom, he responded, "We'll see."
"We have to do everything to avoid bloodshed," Kouchner said.
*The U.S. Navy has led international patrols to try to combat piracy in the region. But an increase in naval patrols has coincided with a rash of kidnappings of foreigners on land.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Does the threat of Pirate Hijackings affect your summer yachting plans? An aerial photo from France's military shows gunmen aboard the yacht Le Ponant Friday. Pirates seized the vessel off Somalia'... more -
D.B. Cooper's parachute found
The FBI believes a parachute found in southwest Washington may have belonged to hijacker D.B. Cooper. If it is the parachute used by the hijacker, it will solve the mystery of where he landed--but could raise new questions. The FBI believes a parachute found in southwest Washington may have belonged to hijacker D.B. Cooper. If it is the parachute used by ... more
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New Zealand to increase domestic flight security in wake of hijack attempt
Somali immigrant Asha Ali Abdille, 33, was charged with attempted hijacking, wounding, and injuring with intent to injure after she allegedly stabbed both pilots and another passenger last Friday on a domestic commuter flight. Abdille demanded to be flown to Australia. The plane landed safely in the southern city of Christchurch. Somali immigrant Asha Ali Abdille, 33, was charged with attempted hijacking, wounding, and injuring with intent to injure after she al... more
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Thieves crash hijacked beer lorry. Typical.
Drink driving gone mad. Clearly. Police are searching for two men who ran off after crashing a hijacked beer lorry in west London.
The lorry was stolen in Bridge Road, Southall, at 1150 GMT and the vehicle then jack-knifed minutes later on Merrick Road.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the lorry driver got out of the cab when two men flagged down the lorry or crashed into it.
The suspected thieves then lost control of the vehicle at a roundabout.
'Held at gunpoint'
Jags Khokhan, assistant sales manager at a Honda garage near the crash site, said the lorry overturned.
He said: "A large lorry came towards the roundabout and as it started turning it lost control and toppled over. A guy jumped out of the lorry and ran down the road.
"The owner of the van came down [the road] and said the driver had been held up at gunpoint."
The police spokesperson said: "There are early reports of a gun being seen, but it is not clear at this point exactly what happened in Bridge Street."
The driver was said to be "very shocked" by the incident, but uninjured. Not a fun Saturday night for them then. Drink driving gone mad. Clearly. Police are searching for two men who ran off after crashing a hijacked beer lorry in west London. ... more -
My Husband, The Skyjacker
A portrait of a common woman who's life was given a new purpose after listening to a death-bed confession. Jo Weber has dedicated the last 12 years of her life to proving her late husband, Duane, was one of the FBI's most wanted men. A portrait of a common woman who's life was given a new purpose after listening to a death-bed confession. Jo Weber has dedicate... more
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Flight instructor gets $5 million for catching the '20th hijacker'
A Minnesota flight instructor who notified his bosses of student Zacarias Moussaoui's suspicious behavior received a $5 million reward Thursday from the State Department. Clarence 'Clancy' Prevost was an instructor at the Pan Am International Flight Academy in Eagan, Minnesota, when Moussaoui was a student there. Moussaoui, sometimes called the '20th hijacker,' is the only person charged and convicted in connection with the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
Now that is a pretty hefty reward. Do you think it's appropriate? A Minnesota flight instructor who notified his bosses of student Zacarias Moussaoui's suspicious behavior received a $5 million r... more -
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper 2: Electric Boogaloo
How's this for a New Year's resolution? After 36 years, hundreds of suspects and thousands of leads, the FBI still wants to solve the case of D.B. Cooper.
On Nov. 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacked a passenger plane, traded most of the passengers for $200,000 in cash and then - en route to Mexico - parachuted from the plane in the pitch-black night, in a driving rain, wearing loafers and a trench coat at 5,000 feet.
Just like Bigfoot, this is one mystery I want to see remain unsolved. How's this for a New Year's resolution? After 36 years, hundreds of suspects and thousands of leads, the FBI still wants to ... more -
D.B. Cooper mystery solved?
A man claims to be his brother in this article
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Turkish Jet Hijack Ends Peacefully
When was the last time you heard about a hijacking? At least it ended peacefully.
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