How Captain Phillips was rescued | |
US officials have been giving details about how Captain Richard Phillips was freed, in an operation which left three of the pirates who seized him dead. US Navy spokesman Vice-Adm William Gortney said the pirates were shot because Capt Phillips' life appeared in "imminent danger". Snipers on a nearby US warship observed a pirate was pointing a gun at the captain's back, and decided to fire. Capt Phillips was not hurt in the gunfire which killed the pirates. At the time of the operations, a fourth pirate was on board the warship, the USS Bainbridge, which was tracking the lifeboat in which the captain was being held. He was taken into military custody. Tied up Capt Phillips had been held hostage in the lifeboat since Wednesday, when pirates attacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama. He had agreed to become a hostage so that his crew could go free, the crew said. US officials said he had been kept tied up in the lifeboat. Negotiations involving Somali elders had been going on throughout Sunday to secure the captain's release, and one of the pirates was taking part in the talks on board the USS Bainbridge. Vice-Adm Gortney said the pirates were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and small-calibre pistols. US President Barack Obama had given clear orders to shoot if Capt Phillips' life was in danger, he said. Snipers determined that one of the pirates had trained an AK-47 on the captain and seemed about to fire, Vice-Adm Gortney added. The snipers fired on the pirates for several minutes. Capt Phillips was unhurt despite being just a few metres away from his captors during the shooting. He was then taken on board the Bainbridge, and later moved to the USS Boxer where he underwent a medical examination. | |
