4 suspicious pirates arrested by the Louise-Marie, “accompanied” ashore

(B2) We learned about it during the weekly update of the Belgian armed forces. The Belgian frigate "Louise-Marie", engaged in the European operation anti-piracy "Atalanta", intercepted at the beginning of the week, four Somali "fishermen" aboard a suspicious boat. A boarding party from the "Louise Marie" boarded this boat which had an engine problem. The four people on board claimed to be fishermen. But no fishing gear was found on board. The four suspects were taken on board the "Louise-Marie", then released on Tuesday. No additional evidence can be attributed to them to bring them to justice. They were "deposited on the ground by the Alouette III helicopter of the frigate", according to the Belgian army spokesman.

Visiting a suspicious boat is a "routine" act. According to the frigate's logbook, a dozen visits by suspicious skiffs took place during the month of September.

photo credit: navy component of the belgian army.