The April 8 attack on the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama took place in waters off the East African coast, about 380 miles east of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. It is the latest by the Somali pirates, who have been in the national spotlight on and off over the last year. In late January, French marines received a distress call from The African Ruby alerting them to the presence of pirates in the Gulf of Aden, near Yemen. The marines intercepted the pirates’ skiffs and arrested those on board (pictured here).
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=143971