Garowe Online (Garowe)
27 September 2008
A gang of pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian-flagged ship loaded with an assortment of weapons on Friday demanded a staggering US$35 million payment for its release.
A pirate spokesman, Januna Ali Jama, told the BBC Somali Service during a Saturday morning interview that the ship contains "weapons of all kinds."
"The Kenyan government should negotiate," Januna declared, saying that documents found aboard the Ukrainian-owned Faina indicated the ship was intended to dock at the Kenyan port of Mombassa.
He demanded a ransom payment in the amount of US$35 million, citing the weapons and other expensive property aboard the ship as being "very valuable" to its owners.
He stated that 20 people are on board the ship and a 14-year old boy is the youngest, while confirming media reports that Russian-made tanks were on board as well as an assortment of light weapons.
Januna, the pirate spokesman, would not clearly identify where the Faina was being taken, but he claimed the world will know by "tomorrow afternoon."
He warned the governments of France and the United States against any military action, saying: "We warn the French and the Americans...anything that happens is their responsibility."
The ship's crew "fought against us," Januna said, adding that the pirates eventually succeeded after using "tactical maneuvers" to overpower the Faina.
He justified the attack, saying: "I do not think we are in the wrong. Our country [Somalia] is destroyed by foreigners...who dump toxic waste at our shores."
Piracy has grown along the Somali coast during 2008, making the strategic sea route linking the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean the world's most dangerous waters.
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