(19 Feb 2011)
1. Mogadishu street scene
2. Various set ups of Somalia's Information Ministry spokesperson Abdirisaq Mohamed Qaylow
3. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Abdirisaq Mohamed Qaylow, Somalian Information Ministry spokesperson :
"As a government, we confirmed that four Americans were kidnapped by Somali pirates. We condemn this action, it is an unacceptable. So the Somali government will try all it can to get information regarding this incident. We request the international community help stem the increasing piracy in Somalia."
4. Cutaway of hands
5. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Abdirisaq Mohamed Qaylow, Somalian Information Ministry spokesperson :
"We also request the international community work with the Somali government to stop crime on the high seas. As a government we advise and request the nations to extradite the pirates and send them to their home countries in order for them to be tried in their country rather than outside."
6. Abdirisaq Mohamed Qaylow walking away
7. Mogadishu street scene
STORYLINE:
The U.S government said on Saturday it was assessing possible responses to the hijacking by Somali pirates of a private yacht owned by an American couple who travel the world handing out Bibles.
Four people are believed to be on board the yacht, which was hijacked on Friday, two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.
That case ended in a spectacular rescue when Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates who were holding the ship's captain.
The yacht Quest is the home of Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from California who have been sailing around the world since December 2004, according to a website the Adams keep.
Somalian Information Ministry spokesperson Abdirisaq Mohamed Qaylow condemned the hijacking and said they would do what they could to gather information on the whereabouts of the yacht and those on board.
He also appealed for international assistance in fighting the rise of piracy in the region.
Pirates have increased attacks off the coast of East Africa in recent years despite an international flotilla of warships dedicated to protecting vessels and stopping the pirate assaults. Multimillion dollar ransoms are fuelling the trade, and the prices for releasing a ship and hostages have risen sharply.
Pirates currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages, not counting the attack against the Quest.
A well known case of Westerners being held hostage in Somalia was that of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held for 388 days. The two, who were captured while sailing in their private yacht, were released in November, 2010.
U.S. officials will likely try to prevent the Adams' yacht from reaching Somalia, where their options to rescue the couple become limited.
One pirate said those involved in the yachts capture were from the Bari area of Somalia's northern region of Puntland. He said the yacht was expected to arrive in Somalia on Sunday.
The pirates from Puntland are not hardline Islamists and the fact the Adams carry Bibles is not said to be an issue.
The Adams website chronicles the couple's travels over the last seven years, from El Salvador and Panama in 2005 to Fiji in 2007 and Singapore and Cambodia last year. They most recently sailed from Thailand to Sri Lanka and India and were on their way to Oman when captured.

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