Captain Freed, 3 Pirates Dead, One Captured: Snipers Killed Them

Richard Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Maersk Alabama, right, after his rescue, with Cmdr. Frank Castellano, the commanding officer of USS Bainbridge

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Good news and all is well for the captain, the pirates were becoming increasingly aggressive and the attempt to reinforce their pirates buddies showed how quickly the situation could escalate. As for the other tug with crew hostage, no word yet. As for the captured pirate, there is a regional agreement between African and Arab states on charging pirates and several pirates we captured last year are being tried in Kenya, so we would probably turn them over to a local government. For a break down of piracy and its causes check here.
Update:
Word is the Captain escaped again and the navy pounced at the chance. Good work.

NY-TIMES-Only three pirates were in the boat because one had surrendered early this morning, according to a maritime official who had been monitoring the situation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The United States fired warning shots Saturday night, followed by a brief exchange of fire. One pirate was either injured or scared, jumped off the boat and surrendered to the United States to the Bainbridge. The justice department will be reviewing evidence to decide whether the surviving pirate, a Justice Department official told CNN.

Just after dark in Somalia, three pirates shot and killed, according to the maritime official. More than 250 hostages being held by various Somalian pirate groups.

Initial reports from CNN said that Mr. Phillips jumped overboard just before the shootout between his captors and Navy Seals ensued near northeastern Somalia. Three of the pirates were killed, according to reports, and one is currently being held in custody. CNN reported that the surviving pirate had been negotiating with American officials.

Citing an anonymous source, the Associated Press said that Mr. Phillips was not injured in the gun battle and that he has been moved to a nearby Navy vessel.

Via HA:

U.S. intelligence official tells the Associated Press Sunday that an American sea captain held hostage by Somali pirates has been freed and was safe aboard a Navy ship. Three of the pirates were killed and one was in custody, according to the official.

U.S. warships and helicopters had been stalking the lifeboat holding Capt. Richard Phillips and his four Somali captors as a Somali official and others reported earlier that negotiations for his release had broken down. …

“The negotiations between the elders and American officials have broken down. The reason is American officials wanted to arrest the pirates in Puntland and elders refused the arrest of the pirates,” said the commissioner, Abdi Aziz Aw Yusuf. He said he organized initial contacts between the elders and the Americans.

Two other Somalis, one involved in the negotiations and another in contact with the pirates, also said the talks collapsed because of the U.S. insistence that the pirates be arrested and brought to justice.

Sounds like the pirates and the elders were holding out for a better deal.

(CNN) -- The captain of the Maersk Alabama was freed Sunday after being held captive since Wednesday by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The official said Capt. Richard Phillips is uninjured and in good condition, and that three of the four pirates were killed. The fourth pirate is in custody. Phillips was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge, a nearby naval warship.Earlier Sunday afternoon Maersk Line Limited, owner of the Maersk Alabama, said the U.S. Navy informed the company that it had sighted Phillips in a lifeboat where pirates are holding him.

Phillips was spotted another time earlier in the day, the Navy said.

A man who answered the door at Phillips' home in Underhill, Vermont, told CNN's Stephanie Elam that the family has known the news for hours. He said details would have to come from Virginia, apparently referring to the home base of Maersk Line Limited, based in Norfolk, which owns the ship.

Snipers:( They were all allegedly shot in the head)

MANAMA, Bahrain (CNN) -- U.S. Navy snipers fatally shot three pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain hostage after seeing that one of the pirates "had an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back," a military official said Sunday.

The captain, who'd been held in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean since Wednesday, was rescued uninjured, Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters.

Capt. Richard Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, was stormed by pirates 350 miles off Somalia on Wednesday morning. He was "resting comfortably" on the USS Boxer after his rescue Sunday night, according to the Navy.