Saudis label pirates 'terrorists' after $100m loss

[bijou]

The Saudi Royal Family condemned Somali pirates as terrorists today after losing $100 million worth of oil in an audacious heist that saw bandits seize a supertanker in the Arabian Sea.

The Sirius Star, which was carrying two million barrels of oil, a quarter of the Kingdom's daily output, was captured with its multi-national crew, including two Britons, 450 miles off the coast of Kenya on Sunday.

The hijack was the biggest ever act of piracy in the perilous shipping lanes off the east coast of Africa. Vela International, the ship’s owners, said today that the crew were safe and that their response team was awaiting further contact with the gang.

The furious Saudi foreign minister said the banditry was akin to terrorism and demanded an international crackdown on the pirates.

link

I'm sure they'll be able to rely on Obama to provide some leadership in the months and years to come. 

[Chris]

I guess we finally found out what it takes to get the Saudi's attention. 

[asdf2231]

Somalia just needs to be bombed into a parking lot.

We still owe them for that shit in '93.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Somalia just needs to be bombed into a parking lot.

We still owe them for that shit in '93.

Hear, hear.

[Zeus]

Now the Pirates are demanding $10 Million in ransom. This shit is just beginning & I suspect the only way to end it is zero tolerance.  Give them 45 minutes to unconditionally surrender or blow the tanker out of the water.

[Duke Nukum]

I wonder how nice the Saudi version of GITMO will be when they catch these terrorists?

[Crazy Horse]

I believe that some in the royal family called in a favor to the pirates since after three threats and dropping of production hasn't slowed the downfall of the price/barrel for oil................how about a 25% hijacking of Saudis daily output.

[Duke Nukum]

I believe that some in the royal family called in a favor to the pirates since after three threats and dropping of production hasn't slowed the downfall of the price/barrel for oil................how about a 25% hijacking of Saudis daily output.

Very good, sir!  Although Iran and Venezuela need the higher barrel price.  The Saudis, I think I heard on CNBC some time back, could do well if it stayed between $30-$40/barrel.

[rich_t]

Now the Pirates are demanding $10 Million in ransom. This shit is just beginning & I suspect the only way to end it is zero tolerance.  Give them 45 minutes to unconditionally surrender or blow the tanker out of the water.

Use a high grade thermite bomb.  Don't want to put all that oil in the water. 

[thundley4]

That  was one possibility that I had heard for them to do.  Use threats of environmental terrorism to get what they want.

[rich_t]

That  was one possibility that I had heard for them to do.  Use threats of environmental terrorism to get what they want.

The only way to deal with terrorists is to kill them.  You do NOT negotioate with them, to do so merely empowers them to conduct more terrorism.

[BlueStateSaint]

Where's a Wisconsin-class battleship when you need one?  Blasting the shit out of their base with a few broadsides of 16-inch rounds would get the pirates' attention, don't 'cha think?

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

I don't see how this is terrorism since it appears to be a profit rather than politically motivated crime.

[AllosaursRus]

I don't see how this is terrorism since it appears to be a profit rather than politically motivated crime.

Since when does it have to be politically motivated to be terrorism? Holding people hostage for any reason "is" terrorism!

[Zeus]

Where's a Wisconsin-class battleship when you need one?  Blasting the shit out of their base with a few broadsides of 16-inch rounds would get the pirates' attention, don't 'cha think?

Indian Navy  sinks pirate mothership during bold stand-off in Gulf of Aden
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5186821.eceIndian

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Since when does it have to be politically motivated to be terrorism? Holding people hostage for any reason "is" terrorism!

PREFACE: I am NOT seeking a fight. I think the best response to these crimes is a double-tap from a Navy SEAL, center-of mass/forehead because the nature of the offense is beyond the capabilities of conventional law enforcement agencies.

However...

...these are crimes for profit.

While terrorist groups often kidnap people for ransom most genuine terrorist kidnappings either seek to finance operations to force political outcomes or seek to force political outcomes directing through extortion over the safety of the hostages.

Terrorism, but its very defintion seeks to use terror. But terror is a tool to seek political objectives. These pirates don't seem to care much for Marx vs Mises they just want money. It is the distinction that makes all the difference. Remember, terrorists also rob banks to support their goals and in the process they cause much fear and panic, but not every bank robber is a terrorist regardless of the emotional content of his crime nor should they be treated as such.

Of course, history has a solid precedent that the key to dealing with these jackholes is military in nature because domestic civilian law and its enforcement agencies lack the legislative and enforcement powers to adequately pursue the offenders.

[thundley4]

This may be monetarily motivated, but the the ransom will likely be used for funding other terrorist activities.  It's unlikely that the culprits are just going to take the money and walk away.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

This may be monetarily motivated, but the the ransom will likely be used for funding other terrorist activities.  It's unlikely that the culprits are just going to take the money and walk away.

A very fair assumption, still...

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women — even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.

"The pirates depend on us, and we benefit from them," said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Haradhere, the nearest village to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude was anchored Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of Somalia's violence and poverty: Radical Islamists control most of the country's south, meting out lashings and stonings for accused criminals. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging this arid African country into chaos.

Of course the real question is: what to do about them in practical terms?

India leads the way:

An Indian navy warship has sunk a Somali pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden, the world's most treacherous waterway, after the renegades threatened to attack the frigate.

The clash happened as pirates claimed to begin negotiations over a ransom for the Saudi super-tanker that was seized nearby on Saturday with two Britons aboard. The Sirius Star, which is carrying at least $100 million worth of oil, is the biggest ship ever to be hijacked.

INS Tabar, an Indian frigate dispatched last month to the area to protect the country's merchant fleet, sighted the pirate vessel late on Tuesday. Indian officers said they spotted pirates moving on the deck with rocket propelled grenade launchers and automatic weapons.

"On repeated calls, the vessel's threatening response was that she would blow up the naval warship," the Indian Navy said in a statement.

"INS Tabar retaliated in self defence and opened fire on the mother vessel.

"As a result of the firing by INS Tabar, fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel."

“From what we see in photographs the pirate vessel is completely destroyed,” a senior officer said. Two speedboats were seen fleeing the sinking ship.

[AllosaursRus]

PREFACE: I am NOT seeking a fight. I think the best response to these crimes is a double-tap from a Navy SEAL, center-of mass/forehead because the nature of the offense is beyond the capabilities of conventional law enforcement agencies.

However...

...these are crimes for profit.

While terrorist groups often kidnap people for ransom most genuine terrorist kidnappings either seek to finance operations to force political outcomes or seek to force political outcomes directing through extortion over the safety of the hostages.

Terrorism, but its very defintion seeks to use terror. But terror is a tool to seek political objectives. These pirates don't seem to care much for Marx vs Mises they just want money. It is the distinction that makes all the difference. Remember, terrorists also rob banks to support their goals and in the process they cause much fear and panic, but not every bank robber is a terrorist regardless of the emotional content of his crime nor should they be treated as such.

Of course, history has a solid precedent that the key to dealing with these jackholes is military in nature because domestic civilian law and its enforcement agencies lack the legislative and enforcement powers to adequately pursue the offenders.

Don't misunderstand me. I was not trying to pick a fight, only trying to label terorism for what it is. If it weren't for the threat to the Saudi's and the threat to the crew, this would be nothing more than theft.

As they have asked for ransom, I classify it as terrorism just as I would holding a plane full of citizens for any reason.

[Airwolf]

Where's a Wisconsin-class battleship when you need one?  Blasting the shit out of their base with a few broadsides of 16-inch rounds would get the pirates' attention, don't 'cha think?

That would be an Iowa Class Battleship. The Winsconsin was one of four of them. The others are the New Jersey,The Iowa and The Missouri.