Eleven men arrested after French foil pirate raid
French soldiers successfully defended two fishing boats from capture by pirates in the Indian Ocean, and 11 men suspected of involvement in the failed attack were pursued at sea and captured, officials said.
Yesterday's chain of events illustrated the teamwork in the international community to crack down on piracy in the Indian Ocean, where pirates cruise the waters searching for boats to hijack for ransoms.
After French soldiers chased away the pirates, the coast guard of the Seychelles archipelago, south of where the attack took place, chased the assailants.
The coast guard captured two boats - a small craft with eight men aboard and a larger ship carrying three that was the pirates' suspected mothership, said Jacqueline Sherriff, chief press officer for the maritime unit of Nato in Northwood, outside London.
It was not clear how many pirates had been involved in the attack, and whether any got away. The nationality of the suspects was not known, but Somali pirates are active in the Indian Ocean.
The two tuna trawlers, the Drennec and Glenan, were heading toward the Seychelles after a fishing trip when they were attacked.
The pirates approached at sunrise, when they were about 300 kilometres north of the Seychelles, said French military spokesman Rear Admiral Christophe Prazuck.
French soldiers stationed aboard the fishing boats first tried to warn the pirates away with flares and warning shots. But once the pirates used their weapons, the soldiers returned fire, Rear Admiral Prazuck said. The pirates then fled.
All those aboard the French boats were unharmed, but it was not clear if any pirates were injured, he said.
Piracy in the region soared as the rule of law crumbled in Somalia and organised criminal gangs ramped up the lucrative business of holding ships, their crews and cargos to ransom.
After dozens of attacks last year, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for tougher action against pirates.
France's government has been stationing military escorts aboard French fishing boats off East Africa since July to protect them from gangs of Somali pirates.
Yesterday was the first time the soldiers used their weapons in such operations, Admiral Prazuck said.
