French military: Forces giving chase to pirates that attacked fishing boats in Indian Ocean.

October 10th, 2009 Seychelles captures 11 suspected piratesPARIS — French soldiers successfully defended two fishing boats from capture by pirates in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, and 11 men suspected of involvement in the failed attack were pursued at sea and captured, officials said. The chain of events illustrated the teamwork in the international community to crack down on piracy in the Indian Ocean, where pirates cruise the waters searching for boats to hijack for ransoms.

October 10th, 2009 French soldiers fire on pirates in Indian OceanPARIS — Pirates attacked two fishing boats in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, but French soldiers protecting the trawlers returned fire and forced the assailants to flee, France's military said. Coast guard vessels from the nearby Seychelles archipelago then chased the pirates, and disabled the engine of a boat that appeared to be their mothership, an official said.

October 10th, 2009 11 suspected pirates captured in Indian OceanPARIS — A NATO spokeswoman says 11 suspected pirates have been captured after a foiled attack on French fishing ships in the Indian Ocean. Jacqueline Sherriff of the maritime unit of NATO in Northwood, outside London, says the coast guard in the archipelago of Seychelles captured one boat with eight suspects on board.

October 7th, 2009 Somali pirates attack French military vesselPARIS — Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates.

October 7th, 2009 Somali pirate error ends with 5 in French brigPARIS — Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates.

October 3rd, 2009 Spain says 36-man crew on hijacked boat safeMADRID — A trawler hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean has been spotted by navy aircraft and the 36-man crew is safe, the Spanish government said Saturday. Defense Ministry spokesman Constantino Mendez said the Spanish warship Canarias was heading toward the tuna-fishing vessel and was expected to sight the fishing boat before the pirates could reach port in Somalia.

October 2nd, 2009 Spanish boat attacked by pirates in Indian OceanMADRID — Pirates attacked a Spanish tuna trawler Friday in the Indian Ocean and contact with the vessel has been lost, the ship's owner said. Echebastar Fleet, based in Spain's Basque region, said the ship Alakrana was carrying a crew of 36.

October 2nd, 2009 VITORIA - Pirates Friday hijacked a Spanish fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean about 600 km off the Somali coast, Basque regional agriculture and fishing official Pilar Unzalu said. MS Alakrana, which is based in the Basque port of Bermeo, informed another fishing boat of its situation, following which the European Union's Operation Atalanta launched a security operation.

August 15th, 2009 Egyptian fishermen sail home with captive piratesCAIRO — The crews of two Egyptian fishing vessels that overpowered pirates off the Somali coast are sailing back home with eight captive pirates on board, said the owner of one of the boats Saturday. Mohammad Nasr said the 33 fishermen turned down the Egyptian government's offer to fly them back Friday from Yemen, saying that sailing back would be a symbol of their courage and pride.

May 8th, 2009 French hand over 11 suspected pirates to KenyaPARIS — A government official says France has handed over 11 Somali piracy suspects to Kenya for a judicial investigation and possible trial. It is the second time France has turned piracy suspects over to Kenya for prosecution.

May 3rd, 2009 French forces detain 11 suspected piratesNAIROBI, Kenya — A French naval vessel intercepted 11 suspected pirates traveling off the Somali coast on Sunday in two assault vessels and a so-called "mothership" loaded with Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers, the French Defense Ministry said. It was the French ship's third pirate intervention in a month.

May 3rd, 2009 Report: 3 suspected pirates arrested in SeychellesNAIROBI, Kenya — A Seychelles coast guard boat arrested three suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean off the islands that depend heavily on tourism, state media reported Sunday. Brigitte Ahshung at the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation said the three men were expected in port Sunday evening aboard the Andromache.

April 15th, 2009 LONDON - Somali pirates have attacked another US merchant ship off the coast of Somalia using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. The pirates damaged the Liberty Sun, which was carrying a cargo of food aid, but were not able to board it, reports the BBC.

April 10th, 2009 PARIS - French naval forces overwhelmed pirates who had seized a private yacht in the Indian Ocean a week ago, but at the cost of the life of one of the hostages and two pirates, the government said Friday. The presidential office said the three other pirates involved in the capture of the yacht Tanis on April 4 had been captured.

April 7th, 2009 PARIS - A French couple and their 3-year-old son were among those kidnapped by Somali pirates over the weekend, French television reported Monday. The family's sailboat Tanit carrying the family and another couple was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean, where they had been vacationing aboard the boat and were heading towards the island of Zanzibar despite repeated warning about the dangers of piracy.