Twenty-eight suspected Somali pirates escaped while being transferred to jail in the Puntland region of Somalia. The suspects were among 41 people arrested during the rescue of a hijacked oil tanker, Sibu 1, also known as Seamull. The Puntland Maritime Police Force recovered the vessel in a counter-piracy operation near Garacad on Somalia's northeastern coast on Friday. The vessel's crew was rescued safely during the operation.
According to security officials, the suspects were being driven from Garacad to the Puntland capital, Garowe, on Friday night when 28 escaped. The officials described the circumstances of the escape as suspicious, citing that transporting detainees accused of serious crimes across several regions at night was unusual. A burst tyre and an unlocked vehicle door contributed to the escape.
Police later recaptured 13 of the escapees, including one who was fatally wounded by gunfire during the search. One security official said the suspects had initially been restrained by their hands and feet after their arrest but that the restraints were removed before they were transported. The incident has raised concerns about the security and potential insider involvement.
A security official alleged that members of the security detail may have assisted the escape. The official stated that there had to be insiders within the armed security detail. However, no evidence establishing police involvement has been made public, and Puntland authorities had not announced the results of any investigation into the escape.
The brother of one of the suspects confirmed that his relative had escaped and was safe. The incident occurred amid a resurgence of piracy in waters off Somalia and Yemen. The International Maritime Organization reported 24 attempted or actual incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the previous three months.
The vessel, Sibu 1, was seized on August 20 by armed men in the Gulf of Aden, about 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, before being taken toward Somali waters. The vessel has been sanctioned by the United States over allegations that it was part of a so-called shadow fleet used to transport Iranian petroleum products in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Somali piracy surged between 2008 and 2014, prompting a major international naval response and costing the shipping industry billions of dollars. The recent increase in attacks has renewed concern about the ability of Somali pirate groups to operate across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean.
Key points
- Twenty-eight suspected Somali pirates escaped during transfer to jail in Puntland region.
- The escape has raised suspicions of potential insider involvement within the police.
- The incident occurred amid a resurgence of piracy in waters off Somalia and Yemen.
