Pirates Kill 4 American Hostages Aboard Yacht

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Pirates Kill American Hostages Aboard Yacht
Updated: 8:59 am

The four Americans aboard the pirated yacht off the coast of Somalia have been killed.

A Navy warship was following the "Quest" when they heard gun shots aboard the yacht and took action. All 4 Americans were dead, killed apparently by their captors.

There were more than a dozen pirates, some of them are dead and others captured.

Organizers of the Blue Water Rally yacht race said the sailboat owned by Adam and his wife, Jean, carried them and two other Americans, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, both of Seattle. It was hijacked Friday off the coast of Oman. It is now in the waters between Yemen and northern Somalia, two pirates and a Somali government official told The Associated Press.

Read more: http://www.local12.com/content/breaking_news/story/Pirates-Kill-American-Hostages-Aboard-Yacht/yEJN_Tom50CAOGLcLya5Qw.cspx

[Robb]

1. Damn it. nt

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pinto]

3. Four American hostages killed by Somali pirates during rescue attempt

Four American hostages killed by Somali pirates during rescue attempt (updated)

( Updated, 6:45 a.m.: The bodies of the four Americans are on board the carrier Enterprise off the Horn of Africa, according to Central Command. )

Four U.S. Navy ships had been shadowing the Quest after it was taken over by the pirates, Mattis said. While negotiations were underway to gain the release of the Americans, U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the Quest. The four Americans had been shot, Mattis said.

Two of the pirates were killed by U.S. forces and 13 captured, Mattis said. After boarding the Quest, military personnel found the bodies of two other pirates. The incident occurred about 1 a.m. EST.

"Despite immediate steps to provide lifesaving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds," according to a statement from Central Command.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/four-american-hostages-killed-by-somali-pirates-during-rescue-attempt.html

[diveguy]

9. hang the rifles around the necks of the pirates

and let them swim back to somalia

[brooklynite]

4. Four U.S. citizens on a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates last week are dead

Source: CNN

Banner:

Four U.S. citizens on a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates last week are dead, a U.S. defense official says.

Read more: cnn.com

---

I wonder if the Bible deliveries had anything to do with it...

Somali thugs have hijacked the yacht of a couple who were in the middle of a sea voyage to take Bibles to other countries. As reported by the Associated Press, the yacht, called the Quest (photo, left), was taken on February 18, “two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.” That hijacking came to an abrupt end when Navy snipers killed two pirates holding the ship’s captain.

Aboard the Quest were Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from California who has been sailing since 2004 on a mission to distribute Bibles around the world. Another couple was also believed to be with them. On their website the Adamses noted that they had been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in such locales as the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America, and French Polynesia.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/africa-mainmenu-27/6404-somali-pirates-hijack-bible-ministry-vessel

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. bible deliveries?

oh dear.

I best stop here, lest my words offend.

[bemildred]

7. I would wager that it helped pay for the trip?

They are dead, and it's sad, all sad, so yeah best follow Thumper's advice and not say anything much. But I do know how you feel.

What is really sad is that we are not free to explore and appreciate our great planet, you can be killed for wandering around in the wrong places.

[joeglow3]

44. Yeah, cause, if so, they deserved to die

:sarcasm:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

57. Hm. interesting. I wouldn't go quite that far, but I will

protect your right to hold that position.

Oh, wait. Was that sarcasm?

[Lurks Often]

6. Doubtful

more likely it was the prison sentence for the survivor of the Maersk Alabama piracy attempt.


I suspect that this is going to escalate rather soon. Politically, the President HAS to be seen responding strongly and taking action in response to their deaths.

[naaman fletcher]

8. sounds to me like a failed rescue attempt. nt.

[coffeenap]

12. Me too. :( nt

[dipsydoodle]

13. HAS to be seen......

?

So tell me - what is the difference between these deaths and the 3 in Pakistan with the "CIA agent" ?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/21/raymond-davis-cia-agent-pakistan

[Lurks Often]

19. Pakistan is

a US ally (at least in theory) with a functional government with nuclear weapons and that situation may still be resolved diplomatically.*

There is no functional government in Somalia and the pirates have shown no inclination to negotiate for anything but money.


*There have been some people, with justification, that feel the President and Secretary of State Clinton have not handled the situation in Pakistan as well as they could. Personally I would prefer to see a stronger tone taken with Pakistan. However I am not privy to the same information that the President and Secretary of State are and there may be valid reasons for the current approach.

[dipsydoodle]

21. Deaths are deaths.

.

[Lurks Often]

26. I'm not understanding the point you are trying to make nt

[RZM]

37. I don't think we have enough detail on the Pakistan incident yet

If it turns out that the CIA man killed those people in Pakistan in an attempt to kidnap/rob them, then I'd say you could make a direct comparison. If it's anything else, then you're probably in apples/oranges territory.

[Xithras]

18. Yep, the pirates promised retribution against Americans.

Seems like these folks had the misfortune of being the targets of pirate anger against America for the imprisonment of the five pirates last fall, and the shooting of the Maersk pirates last year.

I don't know how much escalation is going to help. The Russians have supposedly been lighting the Somali boats up for months now (they're still irritated over that shipment of tanks that got hijacked), and it hasn't made a dent.

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. If their purpose had been 'retribution', they've have killed them at once

and not waited several days for American forces to get close so that the pirates would be killed or captured.

[nalnn]

38. Unless they wanted

Unless they wanted the crew of the trialing vessels to hear/see it. Pirate=Terrorist.

[muriel_volestrangler]

40. suicidal pirates? It seems unlikely to me

Pirate=thief, not terrorist. They're in it for the money.

[nalnn]

43. Yeah but...

These people on the boat spent fully half of their total wealth buying the boat and financing the trip. Not that the pirates knew that...

[nalnn]

68. Normally

I would normally agree with that equation. Given the track record of these pirates though? My reply was partially in jest, but if they were actually doing it to make an impression or strike fear into the hearts of their pursuers, that would be, by definition, terrorism.

Also, historically real pirates were terrorists as well as thieves, the two are not exclusive. But I don't equate the pirates of today with the ones of the 17th and 18th centuries.

[muriel_volestrangler]

69. They may want to strike fear into their possible future victims

but waiting to do it until the US Navy, which massively outguns and outruns them, and killing all the hostages, would be effective suicide, or giving yourself up. Without the hostages, the Navy was bound to attack the pirates until they surrendered or died in the process.

[nalnn]

70. I think we can see

At least I think, that these pirates just aren't "right in the head", so to speak. Maybe it's a lack of education. Maybe it's a lifetime of disinformation. Or maybe it's a lifetime of abject poverty. Regardless, the murders are inexcusable and I have to stop myself before I begin having more than the modicum of pity I have for the pirates that I already do. They truly don't deserve it, especially after this debacle.

[Salander]

72. When the first Somali pirates were killed by Americans over a year ago, I expected

that Americans would thereafter be fair game. That's a no-brainer. Not mostly because of revenge, but because the pirates would know that as soon as Americans come on the scene, there is no alternative to violence. To my knowledge, the fishermen/pirates had never abused any hostages before they were gunned down by the US navy.

What will it take for Americans to turn in their hubris in exchange for humility; give up violence in exchange for negotiation?

[fittosurvive]

63. He needs to put some jets in the air...

[forty6]

11. This is so sad, so distressing.

I have to wonder why such well-informed sailing folks would EVER go into that area of the world these days without navel escort.

Of course, navies cannot afford to lead and escort pleasure vessels, so that should be reason enough to stay out of those waters.

I also question this Christian need for spreading the word by missions like this. But I'm sure I will be castigated for questioning the wisdom of these missions.

[Fire1]

15. Well, spreading the Gospel is a large part of being a

christian and I'm sure they knew the risks. Doesn't stop the sadness, though.

[naaman fletcher]

16. The pirates have become a lot more bold in the last three weeks or so

It is possible that they thought they were well safe.

[Arkansas Granny]

20. CNN article states they were aware of the dangers, but decided to go anyway.

The Adams were experienced boaters and started a world sailing tour in 2004, Scott Stolnitz, who said he was a longtime friend of the couple, said previously.

They were very conscious of the threat posed by pirates, Stolnitz said, adding that Scott Adam had said weeks before that he was concerned about pirate activity in the area, a region he had never visited. But, he said, Adam was determined to sail the world himself rather than ship his boat, as some other yacht owners have done.

<snip>

Their travel plans for the Blue Water Rally included a refueling stop in Djibouti, according to the couple's website. "Djibouti is a big refueling stop," it said. "I have no idea what will happen in these ports, but perhaps we'll do some local touring."

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/22/somalia.us.yacht/#

[whathehell]

22. These people were on a trip around the world

I'm not sure the "missionary" feature was the main one.

It's stupid to go unescorted into hostile waters like this for any reason IMO.

[Arugula Latte]

29. nevermind

[krabigirl]

32. Nothing wrong with questioning the need.

While this is sad, what were they thinking, going into waters in this area? Also, distributing bibles in Muslim countries is not a good thing for your safety. Sad situation though.

[hugo_from_TN]

42. They were distributing bibles to Christian churches

not prosleytizing. The pirates are scumbags whether they killed them because of the bibles, because of the rescue, or just because. Summary execution of all of them is in order.

[Taverner]

34. They HAD Naval support

Which makes this suck even worse

[boppers]

60. Giving your life for your religion is kind of a Christian theme....

...that goes back to the "founder", if you will.

[whathehell]

17. Yes, I'm sure it was those "bible deliveries" that got them killed...

Give me a break..:eyes:

As CNN noted, these pirates are not ideological,

They don't give a flying fuck about anything but money.

Your reach to link it to that damn "xtianity" is duly noted, though

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cbayer]

14. Oh, no. I have no words.

[GETPLANING]

23. Here's a photo of Jean and Scott Adams from

an Australian sailing journal. They had a large cruising boat that would be a likely target for pirates looking to ransom the owners back to their insurance company. Tragic news.

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Content/View.aspx?g=News&c=Cruising&id=4616323

[slackmaster]

24. There is no honor among pirates

Kill them all.

[Ilsa]

27. I tend to agree with you.

I see no reason to show these criminals any mercy.

[FLPanhandle]

28. Only bad news is that not all the pirates were killed.

Once they killed the hostages, they should have all been shot down.

As a sailor, I have not respect for these animals.

[Art_from_Ark]

73. But if some are captured, maybe they can provide information

about other pirate activities

[ChazII]

30. Condolences to their families

and may they rest in peace. As for the pirates .... I will follow the Thumper rule.

[howaboutme]

31. Is it possible there are two stories here?

1- What we're told officially
2- What really happened

They could be the same or they could be different. Throughout history there have been stories told that were totally different from the real events to cover butts and to make things happen. I've become very cynical of governments and the stories they tell, and reason they tell them. Example: Ruby Ridge, Gulf of Tonkin, Pat Tillman, etc.

It is a damn shame these people died. I can not understand why the international community in 2011 allows these pirates to thrive.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

58. without a unified government, and

control over that part of the ocean, foreign countries (china, India, indonesia, Thailand, and other major manufacturers) would have to find another dumping ground for their millions of tons of pollution. So long as that area is in disarray, the massive dumping of toxins can continue.

[howaboutme]

61. I wouldn't doubt it

Have there been any exposes on this?

[rayofreason]

71. Why do pirates thrive in 2011?

Because too many people are unwilling to do what was done before to end the scourge of piracy.

Summary execution of pirates taken in the act and brief and violent expeditions ashore to destroy pirate bases. Or you could get Roman on their butts. It took Pompey 6 months to clear pirates out the the Mediterranean. But such methods are not generally acceptable today.

[nodehopper]

74. I don't understand why the international community in 2011

allows such economic and environmental abuse of state-less Somalia that phenomena like piracy appear in the first place.

[cbdo2007]

33. Why are people still doing private yachting in this part of the world?

There are plenty of beautiful, incredible places to go and you're on a boat so you can pretty much go anywhere.

[cbayer]

35. To get to the Suez Canal. There are only two ways to make a circumnavigation. -

go around the tip of Africa or up through the canal. Both have their risks, though the risks are very different.

[cbdo2007]

36. Thanks for the response!

Hadn't thought about this from a navigational perspective.

[Posteritatis]

53. Pirates in the region operate pretty far from Somalia at this point

People sailing out of there are hitting things - rarely, but still doing so - almost as far afield as India, Madagascar, and up the canal.

Someone else mentioned circumnavigations; the choices there are basically Suez or around South Africa, and if I recall the seas there are only a little less nasty than those off South America can get.

[nalnn]

39. Should never have happened.

This should never have happened. These people seemed like good caring folks. There was no legitimate reason whatsoever for the pirates to target them. Very very sad.

[TEXASYANKEE]

41. Sad.

But from what I understand lots of people have been kidnapped in this region recently -- French, Belgium, English, etc and held for ransom. Some get ransomed and some get killed. Knowing how dangerous it was, why in the world this couple would have gone into this region is beyond me. This whole tragedy could have easily been avoided by their staying away from this region. It's very sad.

[Courtesy Flush]

45. 4 Americans Seized By Pirates Found Dead On Yacht

Source: NPR

Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Monday, the U.S. military said. The deaths mark the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years.

U.S. naval forces, who were trailing the Americans' captured yacht with four warships, quickly boarded the vessel after hearing the gunfire and tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died of their wounds, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement from Tampa, Fla.


Read more: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/22/133961448/4-americans-seized-by-pirates-found-dead-on-yacht?ft=1&f=1001

[tabasco]

46. Time to shock and awe these fucking pirates

They deserve it.

[mediator]

47. Once again, prayer fails.

:shrug:

[Kurmudgeon]

59. Christ warned how the world would do to his followers.

[denbot]

48. In 5 years or so Alley and I will be sailing from India to South Africa

We will have to take the dangerous route around the Cape of Good Hope due to the piracy infesting the eastern Indian Ocean.
Nato, Japan, and China should have a heavy presence there to keep a lid on the Somali pirates.

[cbayer]

52. And maybe, just maybe, international waters will be safe enough for you to take

the route up to the canal.


:hi:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

55. What's in the eastern Indian Ocean?

Are those the Indonesian pirates? Is there more to the planned trip than just India to S.Africa?

I didn't think Somali pirates got that far from home.

I think I'll stick to boats in the Great Lakes. The Canadian pirates are much more polite.

Have a safe trip.

:hi:

[Posteritatis]

56. The Horn of Africa and the area aroudn Indonesia/Malaysia are the two main piracy hotspots. (nt)

[Historic NY]

49. I would hope the pirates were dispatched to Davy Jones locker.

[SoapBox]

50. Unfortunate BUT...

I'm sorry. These people were idiots. Absolute idiots for
leaving the group and just sailing off, towards that area.

...idiots.

[somone]

51. Not sure about people wanting to sail their yachts in those parts

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

54. Pirates Kill Thousands In U.S.

Every day.

[ManiacJoe]

62. Pirates?

:shrug:

[Historic NY]

64. Corporate ones?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

67. Sí.

[SpartanDem]

65. RIP

[Haole Girl]

66. It's really sad when people can't live out their dreams...

sailing around the world used to be an achievable dream. No longer... obviously.

I really didn't expect it to end like this-- not this soon, anyway.

Man... there is more I'd like to say, but at this late hour it wouldn't be pretty.

:-(