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The same week Somali Pirates killed Christian's bearing Bibles, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and is suing the FBI for surveillance of the Muslim community, particularly those who have traveled to Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen. Last fall, CAIR sued the state of Oklahoma for passing an anti-Sharia Law statute. CAIR has ties to both the Muslim Brotherhood (which was responsible for the assassination of Anwar Sadat of Egypt) and Hamas. If the story is correct this was not secret surveillance, but rather the asking of questions. In other...

(CNN) -- Phyllis Macay wrote of her travels around the world with the breathlessly joyous and staccato style of a teenager. "I can say that I want to spend a week here ... month here ... maybe a year," she once wrote of visiting Corsica. "It is exciting, vastly busy ... and beautiful at the same time." That sort of infectious love of adventure, of sailing, of seeing the world was a defining characteristic not only of Macay, but also her companion Bob Riggle and friends Jean and Scott Adam, friends and family say. All four died early Tuesday off...

The fate of the Somali pirates who allegedly killed four Americans off the coast of Somalia has yet to be determined, but the U.S. Justice Department says it is "investigating and reviewing" evidence in the case and is "committed to working with our international partners to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice." The four Americans were on a yacht in the waters off the Horn of Africa when their vessel was hijacked Friday. U.S. forces were following the hijacked yacht when on Tuesday at least some of the hijackers opened fire. The hostages --...

A pirate fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a U.S. Navy destroyer shadowing a hijacked yacht with four Americans aboard Tuesday. Then gunfire erupted, the military said. U.S. special forces rushed to the yacht only to find the four Americans fatally wounded. The experienced yacht enthusiasts from California and Washington are the first Americans killed by Somali pirates since the start of attacks off East Africa several years ago. One of the American couples on board had been sailing around the world since 2004 handing out Bibles. Their deaths appeared to underscore an increasingly brutal and aggressive shift by pirates in...

Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Monday, 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 trailig the Americans' captured yacht with four warships

DEVELOPING STORY: Four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates have been killed, Fox News has confirmed. U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the yacht Quest at approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday, but discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite attempts to save their lives, all four hostages died of their wounds. “We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest,” said Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander in a news release. Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and detained, along with two pirates already...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2011 – Somali pirates killed all four Americans they had held hostage aboard a sailing vessel in the Indian Ocean this morning, U.S. Central Command officials announced. U.S. officials were negotiating with the pirates for the safe return of the captured Americans when the murders took place, officials said. Centcom officials said that in the midst of negotiations, U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the S/V Quest. When the forces reached the boat, officials said, they discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately...

Pirates are now saying the yacht hijacked from a SoCal couple will make landfall in Somalia on Sunday, which may lessen the chance of a rescue at sea. The pirates took control of the yacht Quest on Friday in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The Quest belongs to Jean and Scott Adam, two members of the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey. The Newport Beach couple has been sailing around the world since 2004 on their yacht, posting updates on their website. The trip was part adventure, part ministry, as they handed out Bibles along...

NAIROBI (KTLA) -- U.S. military officials say they're prepared to rescue four Americans who are reportedly aboard a yacht that was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. On Friday, a distress signal was sent by the boat from the middle of the Indian Ocean, according to the French news agency AFP. The hijacking was first reported by Ecoterra International, which monitors regional maritime activity. Ecoterra said the S/V Quest was seized 240 nautical miles (275 miles) off the coast of Oman. Two of the four U.S. citizens being held captive aboard the S/V Quest have been identified as...

UNITED NATIONS -- Somalia's U.N. Mission said Friday that pirates hijacked a yacht carrying four U.S. citizens in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast.

SEOUL (AFP) – South Korean navy commandos Friday stormed a ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, rescuing all the 21 crew and killing eight pirates, military officials said. The SEAL special forces boarded the South Korean ship before dawn, freeing all the hostages and killing the pirates in cabin-to-cabin battles, they said. Five other pirates were captured. "This operation demonstrated our government's strong will that we won't tolerate illegal activities by pirates any more," Lieutenant-General Lee Sung-Ho of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told a news briefing. The South Korean skipper of the chemical freighter suffered a...

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean naval special forces successfully rescued 21 seamen and their South Korean-operated cargo ship that was hijacked last week by Somali pirates in an operation that left eight Somali pirates dead, Seoul's military officials said Friday. "Our special forces stormed the hijacked Samho Jewelry earlier today and freed all hostages," said Col. Lee Bung-woo, a spokesman at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

NORFOLK In a historic decision, a jury in federal court today convicted five Somali nationals of piracy in the April 1 attack on the Norfolk-based frigate Nicholas. It’s the first time in nearly 200 years that a jury returned a guilty verdict in a piracy case in a U.S. court and now likely sets up years of appeals. The five men face mandatory life in prison. Each defendant stood without expression as the court clerk announced guilty verdicts on each of 14 counts. Their lawyers were polling the jury to ensure the verdict was read correctly. The jury deliberated about...

MOGADISHU, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A man was shot dead on Sunday after he refused to disembark from a yacht in the Indian Ocean that was hijacked by Somali pirates last week, pirates and residents said on Sunday. The man was killed in Barawe town on the southern Somali coastline by pirates who had taken him hostage and wanted him to go onshore from his yacht in which he was sailing with others, including a woman and a boy. His nationality was not immediately clear. "He was shot and killed after he refused to disembark from his yacht and move...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – U.S. Marine commandos stormed a pirate-held cargo ship off the Somalia coast Thursday, reclaiming control and taking nine prisoners without firing a shot in the first such boarding raid by the international anti-piracy flotilla, U.S. Navy officials said. The mission - using small craft to reach the deck of German-owned vessel as the crew huddled in a safe room below - ranks among the most dramatic high seas confrontations with pirates by the task force created to protect shipping lanes off lawless Somalia.

A Somali man has admitted attacking a US warship in April after mistaking it for a merchant vessel. Jama Idle Ibrahim and five others chased the USS Ashland and opened fire on it before being captured, court papers said. He pleaded guilty to piracy-related charges in Norfolk, Virginia, and faces 30 years in jail. Five other Somalis also face charges over the attack. Prosecutors said it was Norfolk's first piracy-related conviction in 150 years. "Modern-day pirates must be held accountable," said Neil MacBride, prosecuting. After making a deal with the authorities, Ibrahim pleaded guilty to attacking to plunder a vessel,...

NORFOLK, Va., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A Somali man Friday pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk, Va., to attacking the USS Ashland in the first successful U.S. piracy prosecution in 150 years. Jama Idle Ibrahim told the court he believed the Ashland was a merchant vessel he could hold for ransom. The ship was attacked April 10 in the Gulf of Aden. "Today marks the first conviction in Norfolk for acts of piracy in more than 150 years," U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said. "Modern-day pirates must be held accountable and will face severe consequences." Ibrahim, also known as Jaamac...

The crew of a Libyan cargo ship seized back control from Somali pirates on Wednesday after fighting in which some of their captors are believed to have died and a crew member was wounded, the EU said. "The hijacked Libyan-owned merchant vessel RIM reported that the crew had successfully retaken control of the ship. One of the crew members was seriously injured during the incident," a spokesman for the EU anti-piracy NAVFOR naval force said. "It is believed that some of the pirates were killed during the incident; the ship is now under the control of the crew," added NAVFOR,...

GULF OF ADEN, June 1, 2010 – The U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS San Jacinto yesterday disrupted nine suspected Somali pirates from attacking a Maltese-flagged vessel that was transiting here. The San Jacinto responded to a distress call from the M/V Avenue Beauty, which was transiting 90 miles north of Somalia when the crew reported they were under attack by pirates. Upon hearing gun shots, the Avenue Beauty’s chief officer sounded a general alarm and directed the crew to execute counter-piracy measures, which caused the pirate skiff to call off the attack. The San Jacinto responded to the attack...

Note: The following text is a quote: U.S. Navy Destroyer Locates Pirated Vessel By From a Combined Maritime Forces, Public Affairs News Release American Forces Press Service MANAMA, Bahrain, May 24, 2010 – The USS McFaul, a U.S. Navy Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, located the pirated M/V Iceberg I off the coast of Somalia with up to 50 pirates and more than 20 crew members on board. The Panamanian-flagged vessel had last been seen off Garacaad, a Somali town and known pirate haven. The Iceberg’s exact location was unknown until the McFaul made a positive identification of the pirated ship on...