Madagascar Detains 12 Somali Pirates Suspects
12 Somali suspects were detained Pirated Comoran-flagged vessel MV Zulfecar has been rescued by Madagascar officials after running out of fuel on the coast of the island, 12 Somali suspects were detained The MV Zulfecar was travelling from the Comoros Islands towards Tanzania in the Indian Ocean when it was seized by Somali pirates in November 2010. The skipper of the vessel holding 21 Tanzanian and Comoran passengers sent out a distress signal to Comoros only last week. Subsequently, Madagascar answered to the signal by deploying Navy officials on a search and rescue mission. The Madagascar Navy located the 131-foot ship floating adrift 80 miles offshore the Indian Ocean depleted of fuel and supplies after 4 months of captivity on the water. None of the 21 hostages were injured and upon boarding the ship, the pirates possessed no weapons or identification papers, which were reportedly tossed to sea. Navy officials towed the Zulfecar to a northern port where all 12 hijackers were taken into custody of the Madagascar government without resistance. Prosecutors are unsure of whether they will be able to charge foreigners with piracy laws that have not been used since the 19th century, or if they are even ...
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