French forces have captured six suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean after a supply ship was attacked by gunmen in speedboats, the French military said today.
Pirates in two skiffs attacked the La Somme ship overnight on Monday, some 300km off the coast of Somalia. The French fired back and the speedboats fled.
No one was injured and after a brief search of the area, the La Somme discovered the assailants' mother ship. "We found the suspected pirates, petrol and equipment that could be used for anything but fishing," said a spokesman for the military.
It was the second time in six months that the La Somme had come under attack while taking part in a European anti-piracy operation in the area. "In a funny way, the boat looks like a civilian vessel and we think that it was attacked by mistake," said the spokesman.
Reuters