Bosaso Prison
Yemen's marine forces yesterday handed 12 Somali pirates over to authorities from Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland after they were captured by American naval forces last week, according to local officials.
The pirates were seized when the US navy rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who had been held captive on their hijacked vessel for a month.
After arresting the pirates, the US Navy handed 12 of them, four of whom were wounded in the operation, to Yemeni authorities. The US also returned the bodies of three pirates who were killed when they tried to fight off the naval forces.
The prisoners were held overnight in the Bosaso port jail and then transferred to the central prison at noon today for processing. Two of the bodies were returned to relatives, according to family members, but whereabouts of the third body is unknown.
Ahmed Roos, a local pirate in Dhanaane area whose brother was among the prisoners returned, explained that the 15 pirates sailed from Garaad village earlier this month in an attempt to hijack vessels. His brother told him that once the US navy began attacking, 12 of the pirates threw their weapons overboard, but the three who were killed tried to fight back.
Puntland government officials have not yet commented on return of the prisoners.