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Suspected pirates to face prosecution

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A group of pirates caught by a Royal Navy operation in the Indian Ocean will face justice in the Seychelles.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Fort Victoria, part of NATO's counter-piracy task force Operation Ocean Shield, has handed over 14 suspected pirates to the Seychelles authorities for prosecution.

The suspects were captured on January 13 by Royal Navy and Royal Marines teams.

The Somalian men, who were known to have been operating in the Indian Ocean, were intercepted on board a hijacked Yemeni fishing dhow.

They were found to have a variety of weapons on board, including rocket-propelled and hand held grenades.

The capture was the outcome of four months of counter piracy operations for the UK Counter-Piracy Task Group based in RFA Fort Victoria under the command of Captain Gerry Northwood.

He said: "This has been a long four months of intensive counter-piracy operations during which time we have captured more than 30 pirates for prosecution and rescued 44 merchant mariners from the hands of the pirates.

"This success has been echoed by other NATO units engaged in counter-piracy operations and the handover of these 14 suspect pirates to the Seychelles authorities will contribute to ensuring the waters of the Indian Ocean become a safer place for all mariners".

Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said:” We are very grateful to the Seychelles for their agreement to prosecute
these suspected pirates. Their commitment to the fight against piracy has helped avoid a situation where these individuals were not held to account for their actions.

"In a few weeks time the London Conference on Somalia will discuss how the international community can tackle the many problems faced by Somalia, including piracy. Today's agreement on the transfer of alleged pirates demonstrates what can be achieved through international co-operation and commitment."

Danish ship HDMS Absalon, another NATO ship conducting counter piracy operations in the Indian Ocean, was also in the Seychelles to hand over four suspected pirates to the Seychelles authorities.

NATO has announced its continuing commitment to counter-piracy by
extending Operation Ocean Shield to December 2012.

Picture: RFA Fort Victoria