Dutch forces free 20 hijacked fishermen from pirates
Dutch forces did not have legal grounds to arrest the pirates involved in the hijacking of the ship
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Sunday, 19, Apr 2009 10:09
Dutch forces have freed 20 fishermen whose fishing dhow was hijacked by Somali pirates and was being used to launch attacks on other ships.
The crew of the Dutch vessel learnt about the pirates after receiving a distress call from a Greek tanker that had been attacked by the hijacked fishing boat.
It then pursued the pirates back to the ship and set the hostages free after boarding the vessel. Dutch forces did not arrest the pirates as they did not have legal grounds to take such action
Speaking about the operation, Nato spokesman Alexandre Santos Fernandes said: "We have freed the hostages, we have freed the dhow and we have seized the weapons."
He added that Dutch forces could only detain pirates if they were from Holland, if the victims were from the country or if the crime had taken place in Dutch waters.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that another ship, a Belgian dredging vessel, the Pompei, has been seized by pirates. The ship has been out of contact with authorities since Saturday when it transmitted two distress signals.