The Hague: Dutch prosecutors say they have launched a criminal investigation into five suspected Somali pirates for allegedly hijacking a South African yacht and plan to prosecute them in the Netherlands.
A national prosecutor's office statement says the five men are being held on the navy ship Amsterdam, whose crew arrested them last month.
The men, aged between 20 and 30 years, were being transported to the Netherlands later Sunday.
The Yacht, Choizil, was hijacked and off the coast of Tanzania and later run aground by pirates on Nov 7.
A South African husband and wife were taken to land and are still being held hostage, but the skipper remained on board and was later picked up by the French Navy.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, December 05, 2010, 21:44