It has been reported that two vessels captured by local security forces during last week are pirates.
The captured vessels had hoisted Somalian flags on the boats to falsify their identity to Maldivian authorities.
Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), Minister Umar said that the suspects on board both vessels captured have now been identified as hardened pirates who had been operating at large within their own waters for years.
The first group of pirates were captured on Friday, last week when authorities were able to apprehend 9 individuals identified as Thailand nationals trying to reach the country from Somalia through Maldivian waters. MNDF’s Coast Guard unit had captured a second boat the following day which harbored 12 Thai nationals.
Full story here: The Medi Telegraph
