A British couple from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK have been seized by pirates while sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania. A spokesman for the pirates confirmed to a local New York Times reporter in Somalia by telephone that the couple was being taken to Xarardheere, a pirate stronghold on the Somali coast north of Mogadishu, and that ransom demands would be made after they arrived.

A few hours later the spokesman called back to say that the pirates and their captives had been attacked by a “naval forces”, and that two of the pirates’ vessels had been sunk. Another version says that the pirates scuttled their own boats, and that they were all aboard the captured sailboat. They were expected in Xarardheere yesterday but have not arrived.

The couple was on a round-the-world trip in their 12 m sloop Lynn Rival. They are experienced sailors. New York Times, The Times

ITN news video

A plane carrying 37 people reportedly remains under tight surveillance at Nairobi’s international airport in Kenya since it arrived late Saturday 5 September from the Seychelles, carrying what Kenya is calling pirates, and the government is negotiating with the Seychelles and Somali governments over the fate of the plane and its occupants. Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper says the “pirates” had been released by the Seychelles government, but there is no explanation of why they were held by the Seychelles, and it notes that the passengers “were scheduled to disembark from the plane and enter Nairobi from where they would have either sneaked back into Somalia or remained in the country to enjoy their ill-gotten riches.” Background, “Who is fighting whom in Somalia”, Irin humanitarian news

A British ship seized in the Gulf of Aden and a Taiwanese ship taken in the Seychelles are the two latest ships seized by Somali pirates, making the number five international cargo ships in just three days. In 2008 a total of 108 ships were taken, according to the BBC.