Somalti pirates hijack Yemeni fishing boat

SOCOTRA, May 25 (Saba) - Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni fishing boat five nautical miles south of the Socotra island
coast.

Head of the Fish Union Branch in the island Ahmed Esa said they had received a
letter from the three fishermen who were onboard the boat describing the miracle of
their
survival.
The fishermen said their boat was intercepted by 12 Somali pirates who had various
weapons including machine guns and other dangerous arms.
For his part, the owner of the boat described the incident saying: while I was on
fishing along with two friends, we were surprised by a small boat approaching us.
We thought the boat had a technical problem and it was asking for help but then we
discovered they were Somali pirates, Ahmed Salim said.
They immediately attacked our boat and aimed weapons at us, he said, adding that
the pirates forced them to board the other boat. The pirates ran away on our boat,
he said.
He continued saying that the boat on which the pirates came and on which we came
back was also for Yemeni fishermen and hijacked by the pirates. After the pirates
found
out it was about to break down they used it as a trap to take our won, he said.
MD/FR