GULF OF ADEN: Pirates fire on German ship, leading to five-hour chase

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Somali pirates opened fire Sunday at a German naval supply ship in the Gulf of Aden -- leading to a five-hour chase by Greek, Dutch, Spanish and U.S. warships before the seven pirates were caught and arrested, U.S. Navy officials said.

The pirates may have mistaken the Spessart supply ship for a merchant ship. Involved in the chase were the U.S. amphibious assault ship Boxer and two U.S. Marine Cobra helicopters.

Greek commandos boarded the pirate vessel. The seven pirates have been turned over to a German frigate for possible prosecution. Somali pirates currently hold 11 ships hostage.

-- Tony Perry, San Diego