Posted on 05/11/2010 4:45:38 PM PDT by traumer
Ten suspected Somali pirates captured by the Russian navy last week may have perished after their release, a defence source in Moscow has told reporters.
Marines seized them during a dramatic operation to free a hijacked Russian oil tanker far from shore, killing an 11th suspect in the gun battle.
They were released in an inflatable boat without navigational equipment.
Within an hour, contact was lost with the boat's radio beacon, the defence source said.
"It seems that they all died," the unnamed source was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency.
Russia initially said the 10 pirates would be taken to Moscow to face criminal charges over the hijacking, but they were released instead because there were not sufficient legal grounds to detain them, the defence ministry in Moscow said.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Russia is a signatory, gives sovereign nations the right to seize and prosecute pirates.
Western officials were very surprised when the Russian authorities dropped plans to put the pirates on trial in Moscow, the BBC's Richard Galpin reports from Moscow.
Now there is even more surprise the pirates were set adrift in the Indian Ocean to make their own way home, he adds.
Unknown factors
The tanker, the Moscow University, was seized on 5 May some 350km (190 nautical miles) off the Yemeni island of Socotra as it sailed for China, carrying crude oil worth $50m (£33m).
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
I know for a fact that people often die when they are riddled with bullets........
LOL! Yeah, they probably died alright!
...great pic!
If the Miranda warning isn't read, all it means is that the suspect's statements cannot be used against him in court.
It does not affect any other rights of the suspect, such as that to a speedy trial.
Ummmmmmm. We lost track of them an hour later when the hidden explosive on board the raft mysteriously exploded.
lead poisoning.
Poor unfortunate souls.
I’m good with it.
I’ll guarantee you the Russians were advised to put a few holes in that rubber craft and make sure it is sea worthy lol.
When we start fighting terrorists like this...we’ll win.
Besides that, the boat probably didn't float too long after 50 rounds pierced the hull. Got to give it to the russians. They know how to deal with such problems.
It was an acute case to boot.
came on so quickly
What good is a happy ending if no one knows about it?
I don’t lie awake at night worrying about the health, safety, and general life satisfaction among terrorists and pirates......
But I do wonder what really happened. Ordinarily the Russians do like to capture and show-trial those who annoy them. They could also have said that the pirates fired on the Russian baording team and that the boarding team ‘had’ to defend themselves. It would suit Russian machismo to say that they ‘took out the trash’ so I am puzzled to hear them say that they ‘dropped off the trash,’ instead.
SO, did their show trial candidates threatened to summon other terrorists to their defense? Did the show pony-potential pirates say that they would reveal information that the Russians don’t want known?
bwah hahahahaha. Sometimes I really really admire those commies.
Perhaps pirates will realize this condition is contagious if you board Russian ships.
Perished from AK-47 induced Death! Wooohoo for the Ruskies.
Well, maybe they DID put them in an inflatable raft but surely the AK-47 fire would have punctured the raft...in fact I don’t think the Russians said they actualy inflated the raft first, they just said that the raft COULD be inflated...
“lead poisoning.”
And contagious too ;-)
Tenses of Russian verbs can be tricky. Perhaps we need to review the original transcript. It could quite possibly say “We wrapped them in an inflatable raft and lost contact when it hit 50 fathoms.”
Maybe dead, maybe just swimming underwater for an extended period.
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