Triad
Banned
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- Nov 5, 2008
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...NAIROBI — Portuguese warship Corte-Real captured, disarmed and briefly detained 19 pirates armed with high-explosives after they attempted to attack a Norwegian-owned oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, NATO officials said on Saturday.
....The Portuguese escort frigate began hunting the mothership, a dhow with 19 heavily armed pirates aboard. After a high-speed chase the dhow was intercepted and by evening, eight marines managed to board the vessel.
The special forces discovered four 200g sticks of the chemical high-explosive P4A, four AK-47s and one rocket propelled grenade launcher with nine grenades, Fernandes said.
"It was almost a kilogram of high explosives," he said. "If used correctly it can open a hole in the hull of a ship and sink her."
"It is the first time we have spotted high explosives on board a pirate ship, normally they just stick to AK-47s and RPGs," Fernandes said, adding that he did not think the explosives signaled an escalation in violence.
Comcast.net: NATO forces foil attack on Norwegian oil tankerAfter consulting with Portuguese authorities, the Corte-Real, which was last week recalled from other duties to fight piracy in the Gulf, released the pirates, Fernandes said.
They stop them in the act and the politicians let them go. :2wave: