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Pirates recapture US hostage after escape attempt
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-04-10 22:26 At Phillips' home in Underhill, Vt., family members nervously awaited word on his fate. Sister-in-law Lea Coggio said Thursday a representative of Maersk called to let Phillips' wife know that food and water had been delivered to the lifeboat. "I think he's coping, knowing Richard," she said. "He's a smart guy, and he's in control. "
Officials at Maersk shipping offices in Norfolk, Va., did not respond to repeated messages seeking comment Friday. The Alabama sailed away from the lifeboat Thursday, Maersk shipping line said, and a teams of armed Navy SEALs is on board, according to a US official who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Company spokesman Kevin Speers told AP Radio on Thursday the lifeboat carrying Phillips and the pirates was out of fuel and "dead in the water." Most of the lifeboats are about 28 feet long and carry water and food for 34 people for 10 days, said Joseph Murphy. The lifeboats are covered and Murphy, speaking after a briefing by the shipping company, said he suspects the pirates have closed the ports to avoid sniper fire. Petraeus said the other warships would arrive shortly. US officials said the guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton was among ships en route. The show of force follows an increase in the number of attacks and the first one on a US-flagged ship. The vessels strengthen surveillance of the area and may dissuade pirates from seizing another ship, but there are not enough to mount a blockade in the danger zone that sprawls across 1.1 million square miles, said a senior US defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss operational matters. The Alabama was the sixth vessel in a week to be hit by pirates who have extorted tens of millions of dollars in ransoms. President Barack Obama is getting regular updates on the situation, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. US Attorney General Eric Holder said the United States will take whatever steps are needed to protect US shipping interests against pirates. Steve Romano, a retired head of the FBI hostage negotiation team, said he doesn't recall the FBI ever negotiating with pirates before, but he said this situation is similar to other standoffs. Although pirates release the vast majority of their hostages unharmed, the difficulty will be negotiating with people who clearly have no way out, he said. "There's always a potential for tragedy here, and when people feel their options are limited, they sometimes react in more unpredictable and violent ways," Romano said.
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