Saturday, October 26, 2013

Two Americans Seized Off Nigeria By Terrorist Pirates

Two Americans Seized Off Nigeria By Terrorist Pirates

October 23, 2013 Off the coast of Nigeria, pirates or terrorists attacked a US oil supply vessel, the 222 ft C-Retriever, and abducted the captain and chief engineer who were U.S. citizens early in the day according to UK-based security firm AKE and other security sources. A US defense official said the State Department and FBI were leading the American response. Analysts have expected this to be a ransom for money, but so far no one knows the location of the hostages, or of any demand for money. The real motive may be political as an email from a rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said the Americans had been captured by a "heavily armed auxiliary outfit", off the town of Brass in the Gulf of Guinea. "The Americans will not be handed over for our direct custody but we will have the influence to visit them and ensure that they are well looked after until their subsequent release," the email said.

While piracy off the east coast of Africa near Somalia has fallen off after the US Navy killed pirates who kept the captain of a ship hostage, in the Gulf of Guinea piracy has remained continuously high there since the 1980s. Pirate attacks off Nigeria's coast have jumped by a third in 2013. Previously, it was common to snatch cargo by seizing oil tankers and siphon oil into another ship and selling it in Nigeria sometimes with the help of help of corrupt government officials. But in the last five years. pirates have started to take hostages. Onshore, an American civilian was held hostage in the Nigerian oil-refining city of Warri in 2012 and freed after one week.  The piracy attack in the Gulf of Guinea appeared to be the first involving American hostages in at least two years. Pirates taking American hostages appears to be a new escalation as this attack appeared to be the first involving American hostages in at least two years. The Boko Haram is the largest terrorist movement in Nigeria, best known for attacking churches, schools and villages in the name of establishing an Islamist state, and Iran has been known to support that group and other terrorist initiatives in that country

.Updates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_the_Emancipation_of_the_Niger_Delta
Following a string of Boko Haram bombings in Nigeria in the 2010s, and many attacks against Christian targets, MEND threatened to bomb mosques and assassinate Muslim clerics. MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said a campaign will start on 31 May "to saveChristianity in Nigeria from annihilation. The bombings of mosques, haj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations in Islamic events and assassinations of clerics that propagate doctrines of hate will form the core mission of this crusade." However, Operation Barbarossa would be called off if Christian organisations and the Henry Okah intervene; it further called on Boko Haram to stop attacking Christians and churches.[7] It then announced a suspension of the plans after calls from religious groups and prominent citizens such as Henry Okah.[8]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24919027
Two US sailors kidnapped in October from a ship off Nigeria's coast have been freed, the state department says. The two men were the captain and chief engineer of the US-flagged C-Retriever oil supply ship, it says. State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined to provide any details how the sailors were released.
American Sailors Regain Freedom
by Paul Obi
Nov 13, 2013 (This Day/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- 
http://www.individual.com/storyrss.php?story=184844477&hash=4a5d6eff5cfb5a6a9a9025737048b486
 ABC News previously reported the US company for whom the sailors worked, the maritime transportation company Edison Chouest Offshore, was negotiating for the sailors' release.
The US government policy generally bars it from paying ransom for its citizens, but the policy did not extend to private companies.

  1. Nigerian group claims pirate kidnappings netted $2M ransom | Fox ...

    www.foxnews.com/.../nigerian-group-claims-pirate-kidnappings-netted-...‎

    Nov 18, 2013 - The Nigerian group t Nigerian group that took credit for freeing two kidnapped American sailors from a supply vessel last month claims the caper netted a $2 million ransom.  an email to the shipping blog G-Captain, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it arranged the release of the two unidentified crew members kidnapped from the Edison Chouest-owned supply vessel C-Retrieve

  2. Nigerian Militants Say They Seized US Sailors - allAfrica.com

    allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00027445.html‎

    Nov 13, 2013 - Nigerian Militants Say They Seized U.S. Sailors ... Two Americansailors kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria last month were released over the ...

  3. Two US sailors seized off Nigeria coast are released | News247.com ...

  4. www.news247.com.ng/.../two-us-sailors-seized-off-nigeria-coast-are-rele...‎

    Nov 12, 2013 - Two US sailors seized off Nigeria coast are released ... Americanskidnapped by pirates off Nigeria freed - Vanguard News · American Sailors Regain Freedom  ...

  5. 12/2/2013




http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/25/white-house-west-africa-piracy-americans-hostage n the Gulf of Guinea, however, many ships are not so lucky. Bueger said piracy has remained continuously high there since the 1980s. In the last five years, pirates have started to take hostages instead of stealing cargo.
an email from a rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said the Americans had been captured by a "heavily armed auxiliary outfit", off the town of Brass in the Gulf of Guinea. "The Americans will not be handed over for our direct custody but we will have the influence to visit them and ensure that they are well looked after until their subsequent release," the email said.
The Gulf of Guinea has accounted for all crew kidnappings worldwide so far in 2013, the IMB said in its report. It said 32 people had been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria, and two off the coast of Togo.
Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea typically seize oil tankers and syphon oil from them into another ship while at sea, Frodl said, often with the help of corrupt government officials. They then take the oil to Nigeria, where it can be sold illegally. 

 Last year, an American civilian was freed after a week of captivity in Warri, an oil-refining city in Nigeria.
    1. NBCNews.com (blog) ‎- 2 days ago
      Two Americans were kidnapped by armed pirates after their ship was attacked offNigeria's coast, U.S. officials said Thursday. The U.S.-flagged ...

  2. Pirates kidnap two Americans in ship attack off coast of Nigeria | Fox ...

    www.foxnews.com/.../americans-kidnapped-by-pirates-off-coast-nigeria-...‎

    1 day ago - Pirates have attacked a U.S.-flagged oil platform supply vessel off the coast of Nigeria and kidnapped two Americans, a senior U.S. official tells ...

  3. Pirates Singled Out Americans in Ship Attack Off Nigeria, Official Says

    abcnews.go.com › Investigative Unit‎

    2 days ago - Pirates Said to Single Out Americans in Ship Attack.

  4. 2 seized in pirate attack off Nigeria, U.S. official says - CNN.com

    www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/world/africa/nigeria-vessel-attack/‎

    2 days ago - Armed men stormed a boat off Nigeria's coast and took hostage two mariners believed to be U.S. citizens, a U.S. official said Thursday.

  5. BBC News - Nigeria pirate attack: US sailors seized

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24657515‎

    2 days ago - Pirates seize two US sailors from an oil supply ship near Nigeria, as the White House voices concern over rising piracy off West Africa.

  6. Pirates Abduct Two Americans on Oil Ship Off Nigerian Coast ...

    www.nytimes.com/.../two-american-mariners-abducted-off-nigerian-coas...‎

    2 days ago - The piracy attack in the Gulf of Guinea appeared to be the first involving American hostages in at least two years.

  7. Pirates seize two Americans off Nigeria's coast - World News

    worldnews.nbcnews.com/_.../21114805-pirates-seize-two-americans-off-...‎

    2 days ago - Two Americans were kidnapped by pirates after their ship was attacked offNigeria's coast, U.S. officials said Thursday. The U.S.-flagged oil ...
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