Four pirates killed in firefight with Danish Navy Special Forces

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  1. The frigate Esbern Snare detains four people after an incident in the Gulf of Guinea.

    Two weeks and three days. That’s all it took for the Danish frigate Esbern Snare’s pirate deterrence mission in the Gulf of Guinea to turn bloody.

    On Wednesday afternoon, soldiers from the Frømandskorps came to blows with eight people on board a suspected pirate vessel. Four died and a fifth person was wounded in the gun battle.

    The Defence Command says all those involved were taken on board the Esbern Snare, where four suspected pirates are now being held.

    – It is obviously not desirable that human lives are lost. But I am pleased that no one from the Danish crew has been injured. They are performing an important task of protecting Danish and other merchant ships in the region, says Defence Minister Trine Bramsen via Ritzau.

    Frømandskorpset in action

    The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the frigate’s helicopter spotted a fast-moving motorboat with eight suspicious people on board. The Defence Command says that there were also ladders and other pirate tools on board the motorboat. The frigate gave chase and during the evening was close enough for a force from the Frømandskorps to approach the pirate vessel.

    – Esbern Snare called the pirates to a halt so that the Danish soldiers could get on board, says the Defence Command, which also describes that the pirates ignored the call. Therefore, the Danish soldiers fired warning shots at the pirates.

    – The pirates then opened fire directly at the Danish soldiers. The Danish soldiers then reacted in self-defence and returned fire on the pirates, the press release says.

    Detaining four people

    After the firefight, the pirate ship sank and the suspects were taken on board. One is being treated for his injuries, while the others are in custody.

    – We have sent soldiers on this mission because the pirates are both professional and armed. As is the practice, the Defence will now further clarify the incident, says Trine Bramsen. According to the Defence, an inter-ministerial working group is in the process of clarifying what will happen to the detainees and those killed.

    Translated with DeepL (free version)

  2. Interesting what happens next. None of the countries in the area are interested in prosecuting and accepting pirates, so the four people locked up on the Danish ship are as clueless about the next step as the ship officers on the bridge.

  3. Oh, Gulf of Guinea.

    I was very confused as I had thought Baltic piracy dead and almost got my hopes up.

  4. We live in an unfair World when copying the latest Marvel movie of the Internet risks the Danish Special Forces will break down your door and kill you…

  5. Update:
    Danish authorities is presenting the case in absentia (video link to the ship and the 4 alleged pirates) at two o’clock today.
    https://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2021-11-25-pirater-fremstilles-i-grundlovsforhoer
    This is a strange procedure, since Danish parliament is still negotiating what the ship is supposed to do if they catch any pirates in the area.

    Edit:
    Danish court system ruled the 4 “alleged” pirates will remain in custody for another 13 days (on the ship). Presumably to allow the defense time to work, because the prosecutors case for piracy and attempted should be a slam dunk case proven by testimonies and video documentation.

    What they are going to do with them “when” they are found guilty though????? Is a matter for the Danish politicians. The court rules according to the law. How the sentence is carried is not their problem.

    Edit 2.0.. https://nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2021-11-25-afrikanske-pirater-varetaegtsfaengslet-i-13-dage-skoed-mod-danske-soldater
    Some more info released from the court hearing. News of pirates in the area announced. Danish war ship sends up a helicopter and finds the “alleged” pirates heading for a Dutch Merchant ship. The warship sends an inflatable with Navy frogs, (yep Danish navy seals are called frogmen), to intercept the pirates, and the pirates then shoots at both the helicopter and the frogs.
    The Danish ship got closer, but instead of slowing down and giving up, the pirates fired directly at the Danish ship, that returned fire killing 4 and wounding 1.

    So the prosecutors case is attempted murder.

    Among the stuff confiscated from the “alleged pirates” boat was AK-47 rifles, strips, hammers and bolt cutters. Unusual tools to have onboard a fishing boat with a surviving crew of a bricklayer, fisherman and a sailor.

  6. those guys have a ship with steel armor and multiple 105mm guns while we have a pneumatic canoe… lets attack them

  7. Well, back in the days, people were not apologizing when pirates were killed.

    Pirates are actually bad people.

    Good job, Danes!

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