By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press Writer Rukmini Callimachi, Associated Press Writer – 57 mins ago
NAIROBI, Kenya – The Seychelles Coast Guard said Tuesday it had arrested nine suspected pirates believed to be behind the weekend attempt to hijack a luxury cruise liner carrying an estimated 1,000 tourists in the Indian Ocean.
A coast guard statement said the nine arrived in a port of the Seychelles islands on Tuesday and were being held in a local jail. They were thought to have participated in the attempted hijacking of the MSC Melody, which was attacked Saturday 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) north of the Seychelles.
The Melody, carrying about 1,000 passengers and 500 crew, was en route from Durban, South Africa to Genoa, Italy, on a 22-day luxury cruise when pirates in skiffs opened fire late Saturday. The cruise ship's security detail returned fire, startling the pirates, who gave up and turned around.
When the Melody made a distress call, the Seychelles Coast Guard says it sent out an aircraft that spent five hours photographing the pirates' skiff and marking its position, before passing it on to a Spanish frigate that was in the area. The Spanish Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the Spanish navy tracked the skiff and apprehended the suspects. They were then turned over to the Seychelles Coast Guard.
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