Russian pirate saga incredible

(Version anglaise seulement)

While a baffled European Commission spokesman could only refer to the story as stuff for a Hollywood movie, European Union maritime officials, who have remained sceptical of the possibility that "traditional piracy" could have taken place in this case said: "We have not seen piracy in the Baltic Sea since the 17th century and usually pirates need a safe haven close by to operate from, as is the case with piracy off the coast of Somalia, which is totally different."

Mystery remains

According to the Daily Telegrap the suspects – four Estonian citizens, two Latvians and two Russian nationals – were charged with carrying out Europe's first act of piracy in hundreds of years. Russia's authorities have opened a criminal investigation on charges of "kidnapping" ahead of a complicated legal debate over which jurisdiction should deal with offences surrounding the hijacking of a Russian owned, Finnish managed but Maltese flagged vessel in Swedish national waters.

But the motive behind the seizure remained a mystery as experts claimed the full story had yet to emerge.

The Telegraph quotes Mikhail Voitenko, the editor of Russian Maritime Bulletin-Sovfracht, as saying he had spoken to the crew on the Arctic Sea, who remained in the dark as to the motives for the hijacking and he has suggested that the delays in reporting the hijacking, the low value of the ship's timber cargo – worth only £1 million – and the disabling of communications systems pointed beyond piracy to a more sinister conspiracy. He even hinted that Russian security forces could have been involved in the hijack at some stage.

"The operation cost more than the cargo and ship combined," he said. "It makes sense only if looked at as a conflict between states. I believe states, state interests, were involved in what happened. I believe the countries involved found a solution and agreed to 'keep it in the family'."

The 15 Russian crew members meanwhile were travelling from Cape Verde island of Sal where they are due to board a military plane bound for Moscow.

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