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U.S. may use force to seek release of American couple from Somali pirates: report : Somalia: Rift comes in between Al-Shabab and Somali Pirates : Were they targeted in retaliation? Pirate warns of 'regrettable consequences' as four U.S. citizens are hijacked off Somali coast . Pirates bringing hijacked US yacht to Somali lair
NAIROBI, Kenya — Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Tuesday, the U.S. military said, marking 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. They tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died of their wounds, U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida said in a statement.
A member of a U.S. special operations force killed one of the pirates with a knife as he went inside of the yacht, said Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. naval forces for the Central Command.
Fox said in a televised briefing that the violence on Tuesday started when a rocket-propelled grenade was fired from the yacht at the USS Sterett, a guided-missile destroyer which was 600 yards away. The RPG missed and almost immediately afterward small arms fire was heard coming from the yacht, Fox said.
President Barack Obama, who was notified about the deaths at 4:42 a.m. Washington time, had authorized the military on Saturday to use force in case of an imminent threat to the hostages, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
A total of two pirates, including the one who was knifed, died during the ensuing confrontation – which happened around 9 a.m. East Africa time – and 13 were captured and detained, the Central Command said. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead for some time were also found. The U.S. military didn't state how those two died. It was unclear if the pirates had fought among themselves.
Negotiations had been under way to try to win the release of the two couples on the pirated vessel Quest when the gunfire was heard, the U.S. military said. Fox, asked by reporters about the nature of the negotiations, said he had no details.
He identified the slain Americans as Jean and Scott Adam, of Marina del Rey near Los Angeles, and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, Washington.
The Quest was the home of the Adams who had been sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles.
Americans slain by captors on hijacked yacht; pirates killed, arrested
heck out CNN affiliate KING-TV in Seattle for a report on what was supposed to be a couple's dream trip. (CNN) -- Four American hostages on board a yacht hijacked by pirates last week were killed by their captors Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.The vessel, named the Quest, was being shadowed by the military after being captured by pirates off the coast of Oman on Friday. Officials had said earlier Tuesday it was less than two days from the Somali coast.
Ship owners Jean and Scott Adam and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle were found shot by U.S. forces who boarded the vessel about 1 a.m. ET, officials said.
The forces responded after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a U.S. Navy ship about 600 yards away -- and missed -- and the sound of gunfire could be heard on board the Quest, U.S. Navy Adm. Mark Fox told reporters.Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds," U.S. Central Command said.
The incident took place as negotiations involving the FBI were underway for the hostages' release, Fox said. Two pirates had boarded a U.S. Navy ship on Monday for the negotiations, he said. He told reporters he had no information on details of the negotiations or whether a ransom had been offered.
Two pirates were found dead on board the Quest, he said. In the process of clearing the vessel, U.S. forces killed two others, one with a knife, Fox said. Thirteen others were captured and detained along with the other two already on board the U.S. Navy ship. A total of 19 pirates were involved, he said.
The Adams were from Marina del Rey, California, Fox said, and Macay and Riggle were from Seattle.
The 15 detained pirates were being held together on a U.S. warship, he said, and "we will go through the appropriate process to bring them to a judicial process and hold them accountable for their activities."
Fox said it was the deadliest pirate incident involving U.S. citizens that he could recall. There have been fewer than 10 fatalities associated with pirate activity in the region in the past few years, he said.Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds," U.S. Central Command said.
The incident took place as negotiations involving the FBI were underway for the hostages' release, Fox said. Two pirates had boarded a U.S. Navy ship on Monday for the negotiations, he said. He told reporters he had no information on details of the negotiations or whether a ransom had been offered.
Two pirates were found dead on board the Quest, he said. In the process of clearing the vessel, U.S. forces killed two others, one with a knife, Fox said. Thirteen others were captured and detained along with the other two already on board the U.S. Navy ship. A total of 19 pirates were involved, he said.
The Adams were from Marina del Rey, California, Fox said, and Macay and Riggle were from Seattle.
The 15 detained pirates were being held together on a U.S. warship, he said, and "we will go through the appropriate process to bring them to a judicial process and hold them accountable for their activities."
Fox said it was the deadliest pirate incident involving U.S. citizens that he could recall. There have been fewer than 10 fatalities associated with pirate activity in the region in the past few years, he said.
In addition, pirates can stay on board longer, have appropriate equipment and can demand the expertise of the ship's crew, he said. Previously, pirates typically just hijacked a vessel and held it until a ransom was paid, he said.
The Adams were a passionate couple who spent most of their time since 2004 boating around the world, said Scott Stolnitz, who knew Scott Adam, a retired film executive, for nearly 40 years. The couple had a small boat at the Del Rey Yacht Club, where they would occasionally return to visit friends, family and handle business, he said.
But traveling the world on their yacht was where they really wanted to be, he said.
"They loved the experiences they were having with the people they were meeting and the places they were going," Stolnitz said. "We asked them once if they ever looked forward to living on land again, and they both, believe it or not, said no."
He previously had said the Adams were very conscious of the threats posed by pirates and were concerned about boating in the area.
One aspect of their travels, according to the site, was "friendship evangelism -- that is, finding homes for thousands of Bibles, which have been donated through grants and gifts, as we travel from place to place." They also said their mission was to "allow the power of the Word to transform lives."
But, Stolnitz said, vigorous evangelism wasn't a major emphasis for the couple. "They use the Bible as an ice breaker," he said.
Piracy has flourished off the coast of Somalia, which has not had an effective government for two decades. While piracy in the Indian Ocean has taken place for a number of years close to the Somali coast, "in 2008 we saw a very marked and rapid shift into the Gulf of Aden, where Somali pirates were attacking and hijacking vessels very, very regularly," Mody said. International navies combating piracy have been fairly successful in setting up a patrolled transit corridor through the Gulf of Aden, Mody and Fox said. But the pirates' activities then shifted into the southern Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea area, Mody said.
In addition, there was "a very large increase" in pirate attacks between 2008 and 2009, although the increase did not continue into 2010. Mody said. He noted that in the first few months of 2010, virtually no pirate hijackings were reported. So far in 2011, "we have already seen more than 50 attacks carried out," he said. "From 2008, what we've seen is they have evolved ... and increased their capabilities."
International counterpiracy teams do what they can to control pirate activities in the region, he said, but "the area in which the Somali pirates are threatening is far too large for a concentrated naval effort like what is happening in the Gulf of Aden, so the navies are mostly relying on a lot of intelligence-gathering and targeting vessels based on the intelligence," Mody said. coast, "in 2008 we saw a very marked and rapid shift into the Gulf of Aden, where Somali pirates were attacking and hijacking vessels very, very regularly," Mody said.
International navies combating piracy have been fairly successful in setting up a patrolled transit corridor through the Gulf of Aden, Mody and Fox said. But the pirates' activities then shifted into the southern Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea area, Mody said.
In addition, there was "a very large increase" in pirate attacks between 2008 and 2009, although the increase did not continue into 2010. Mody said. He noted that in the first few months of 2010, virtually no pirate hijackings were reported. So far in 2011, "we have already seen more than 50 attacks carried out," he said. "From 2008, what we've seen is they have evolved ... and increased their capabilities."
International counterpiracy teams do what they can to control pirate activities in the region, he said, but "the area in which the Somali pirates are threatening is far too large for a concentrated naval effort like what is happening in the Gulf of Aden, so the navies are mostly relying on a lot of intelligence-gathering and targeting vessels based on the intelligence," Mody said. cnn
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