Three yacht pirates charged in France

by BW Media round-up on 18 Apr 2009 The three surviving pirates who kept four cruising sailors and a three-year-old hostage for a week have been charged with hijacking and false imprisonment in France.

In a rescue operation off the coast of Kenya that went tragically wrong in that it ended with the death of the French skipper of the yacht Florent Lemacon being killed by a bullet during the rescue, two of the pirates were killed and the other sailors rescued.

The three were captured by French commandos in a hostage rescue operation of the crew of the yacht Tanit in the Indian Ocean on 10 April, and brought to France to face trial.

It is not yet known if the Tanit’s captain was killed by his captors or hit by a stray French shot. A post mortem examination has revealed that the captain, Florent Lemacon, 28, died of a gunshot wound to the head. As no bullet fragment was found it has not yet been determined if the shot was from a French weapon or a hijacker’s gun, officials said.

The three Somalis captured on the Tanit, aged 23-27, were taken to the town of Rennes for questioning.

They face a life sentence in prison if convicted of the charges.

The Tanit was reported to be sailing down to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, despite warnings not to sail through the area.

Twelve other suspected pirates captured in two other attacks on French vessels are being held in France.

Another 11 suspected pirates arrested on Wednesday by the French navy are being taken to the Kenyan port of Mombasa to face trial there.

Kenya has already prosecuted pirates as part of an international agreement.

On Friday, US officials said a pirate suspect arrested in the rescue of an American merchant ship captain would be taken to New York for trial.

He was captured after three other pirates were killed by US navy snipers during the rescue of the captain of the Maersk Alabama on Sunday.

Pirates have vowed to avenge the deaths of those killed in the rescue operations.