Killing of Southern California couple marks grim escalation for Somali pirates

The killing of a Southern California yachting couple marks another grim milestone in the persistent problem of Somali pirates on the Horn of Africa.

Pirates hijacked the couple's boat off the coast of Oman last week, apparently killing them and another American couple on board Tuesday as U.S. forces tried to negotiate a rescue. Targeting a civilian couple is seen as an escalation by the pirates. Scott and Jean Adam, boaters who were based out of Marina del Rey, had been on the high seas for several years, adventuring and distributing Bibles.

Pirating has become an international issue in the last decade and has been difficult to stop, given Somalia's weak government.

During 2008 alone, the pirates are believed to have collected more than $50 million, according to a Los Angeles Times report from Africa at the time. In response to a spate of hijackings, including that of a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 battle tanks and a Saudi tanker with $100 million of crude oil, warships from North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, including the U.S., and other navies have been patrolling the area since last year.

Pirates have extended their reach and their activity has intensified, according Times reporting from Africa ("Pirates rule Somali coast"). About eight years ago, several Somali warlords began attacking illegal fishing boats that had been plundering and polluting the nation's waters. In 2005, more than 800 illegal vessels from Kenya, South Korea, China and other nations were exploiting Somalia's coastline.

Then the attackers began targeting humanitarian vessels, including some from the United Nations' World Food Program. Today, the brazen pirates, calling themselves Somalia's self-appointed "coast guard," attack virtually anything that floats, including private luxury yachts and even a U.S. naval boat.

Foreign seafarers usually offer little resistance and make obedient hostages. Ransoms this year alone have topped about $30 million, officials estimate.

Friends said Scott Adam had previously discussed the dangers of piracy when navigating the Arabian and Red seas.

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-- Shelby Grad, Tony Perry and Corina Knoll

Video: Associated Press

Comments

[diego]

The world should stop negotiating with bullies and should handle it the old fashion way. An EYE for EYE!! Send those pirates right back where they came from! This world has become intolerable.

[oldusedcop]

Violence is escalating because the rest of the world has allowed Somali pirates to commit crimes with virtual impunity.

[alan hart]

Maybe now these ships will start carrying arms and personnel trained to fend off pirates. Countries that don't allow armed ships to come to their ports will not have their cargo picked up or dropped off.

[Bradford Talamon]

The U.S. and other military forces need to start setting traps for these pirates and send innocent-looking, apparently easy targets that actually are well-armed and have special forces hidden aboard into Somali waters. When the pirates approach, they are opened up on and mowed down. If this happens often enough, they will be afraid to approach any innocent-looking vessel.

[Old Venturan]

The cure that worked in the past will work again. Any ship that is boarded by any Navy force that is found to have a significant store of weapons is deemed to be a pirate ship. All the personnel on board that ship are deemed to be engaging in piracy and are immediately hung at sea. Worked before will work again.

I am confident that is what happened to the pirates that the Chinese apprehended a while back. Western governments need to get some backbone. Perhaps they didn't hang them. The Chinese seem to prefer a bullet in the brain.

As with any crime, as more crimes are committed, the criminals become hardened to what they are doing. Piracy allowed to continue will continue to escalate in regard to killing of the hostages.

[wes]

they should just blockade that country and every time they attack, blow them out of the watter

[Common Sense]

I feel terrible about the fate of the two couples, but what were they thinking!? I would never think about hanging out in Somali waters (or for that matter, Baghdad, Islamabad, Jerusalem, or Ciudad Juarez), for any reason whatsoever! A lot of Americans naively think that the rest of the world is respectful of human righs and American law-and-order protocals. I can already picture the couple proclaiming with authority to the pirates: "We are American citizens and we have rights..."

[djack80]

This incident may have been the last straw for the humane treatment of pirates. I hope that the USA along with the other countries patrolling in this god forsaken place start treating the pirates like the vermon that they are. Until we start sinking their boats and give them the traditional death that pirates deserve, this problem will continue.

[Little Richie]

The Americans had no business in that part of the ocean, bible or no bible...
Condolences to the the families and all loved ones, R I P.

[boochie]

The only way to deal with these Islamist pirates is to kill them-before they kill you. Merchant ships should also be allowed to defend themselves as the prirates are going farther out to sea to capture ships.

[toine]

I feel very bad for the American boaters who lost their lives. Hopefully, this will also be a caution: Pleasure boaters be aware this is a very dangerous part of the world to be sailing. Don't tempt fate or think it can't happen to you.

[Michael Boyd]

Back in the day, our mother country, Britain, had many pirates out on the seas stealing gold and silver for the King, killing those who resisted.

Isn't there something about reaping what has been sown?

[Art]

Negotiate what, the military didn't do there job, lives were lost and these pirates are continuing to do this more often, how more lives with it take to stop this idiots

[todd smith]

I don't understand, these are acts of WAR, and should be treated as such. Our forces should quit trying to be peaceful with these savages and start taking charge of the situation. Blow these ships out of the water, period. I just don't understand how lack we and the United Nations are on this country of savages.

[Michael Boyd]

The Gulf of Tonkin incident in the 60's....

10 or so years later, 58,000 or so killed, 100's of 1000's wounded, lives ruined, trillions of dollars cycled UPWARD for the betterment of many in California via the DOD contracts, one President murdered...

Shall I continue?

[rhenryn]

I do not understand why we don't attack every boat we see on the water that looks like a pirate by aircraft, helicopter or ship. Let's verify they are not fishing, if they are in pursuit of another boat/ship or acting suspicious blow them out of the water. After about 1 year of that and we wouldn't see anymore pirating.

[ev]

It's ironic we consider ourselves so civilized that we have allowed piracy to flourish. History has taugh us there is only one way to deal with pirates, and this is no Disney movie. You just don't bring them to justice, they are not afraid of that as they know the odds are low. They need to be hunted, board every vessel in the area, those with weapons are sunk and the occupants jailed. Those which put up a fight are killed where they stand. The rules of the game need to be changed, the ones they are using now don't work.

[Bob Kehl]

We have a week UN who will probably give the Samolian Pirites a place on the security counsel in the UN so as to make amends for all the grief the US has caused them.
BK

[peter wolf]

Grim escalation? No, what's grim about it is that for years, the international community has had a failed 'catch and release' policy towards these pirates. From now on we should catch them and execute them. The most ancient laws of maritime commerce permit the execution of people engaged in piracy. Start doing it now !!

[Tom Oliver]

Can't the US Navy get some ships over there ? Aircraft carriers Etc and fire a few rounds and blow some pirates out of the water? They might get the picture if some fighter jets buzzed over Somalia about 100 feet off the ground
Or is Somalia going to bring the United States to it's knees like Osama Bin Laden has

[david h george]

I think they made a mistake on that one. Bungler in chief time to rock or resign.

[John Clifto]

I Liked Brad idea to some style of solution. We in America tend to turn the other cheak so often. BUT. It must be remembered that America does not rule the world. These poor souls did sail into this dangerious area on their own free will, and they knew just what COULD happen. In this case Common Sence was cast to the wind, and people died because of their lack there of = a truley hard lession to have learned. The same goes for being in the cross hairs of the drug wars in Mexico. We have a choice as to where we go in this world = our decissions have alot to do with our own safety.

[Concerned]

I applaud the Team's work on swiftly regaining control of the vessel. While I agree with the ideas of setting pirate traps in the oceans, I also hope this serves as a brutal warning to other recreational sailors who voluntarily traverse such dangerous waters. No one deserves to have this happen to them. But the pirates have clearly escalated to a deadly level, and I don't want to see even one of our US Navy personnel killed in trying to rescue pleasure cruisers who choose to gamble their own lives by sailing incredibly high-risk waters. Again, my heart breaks for these Americans and their families, but they not only chose to take this route, they broke off from their companion boats and made themselves attractive prey.

[michael g]

Thank you, Mr. Obama!! Your inept world-view and policies are directly responsible for the death of these Americans at the hands of your Muslim Brothers... Their blood is on your hands...

[Rich]

The War against Piracy should be much easier than the War against Terror!