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Somali pirates holding an American ship captain hostage have reportedly made a £1.6m ransom offer - as another hostage in the same region is killed. American Captain Richard Phillips tried to escape by jumping into the sea in sight of a US warship, but he was quickly recaptured, officals have said. Capt Phillips is not thought to have been hurt in the incident, even though shots from an automatic weapon were fired in the drama. Meanwhile, the French military has managed to free a child and three others from a yacht taken hostage in the notorious Gulf of Aden last...

- Somali pirates holding an American on a drifting lifeboat vowed on Friday to fight any attack by U.S. naval forces and reportedly recaptured their hostage when he jumped overboard to escape."We are not afraid of the Americans," one of the pirates told Reuters by satellite phone on behalf of the gang holding Phillips far off the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean. "We will defend ourselves if attacked." Two boats full of heavily-armed fellow pirates have taken to sea in solidarity with the four on the lifeboat, but are too nervous to come near due to the presence of...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US ship captain being held hostage by pirates off Somalia jumped off the lifeboat where he was being held early Friday but failed to escape his captors, US networks reported. Captain Richard Phillips jumped into the water during the night and tried to swim towards the nearby US destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, but pirates jumped in and recaptured him, three US television networks reported. US military officials told CNN that Phillips was in good condition and that the pirates did not hurt him. The Bainbridge, accompanied by a P-3 Orion surveillance plane, was preventing the pirates...

NAIROBI, Kenya – Escalating a dramatic Indian Ocean standoff, more U.S. warships — as well as pirate reinforcements with an international gallery of hostages — rushed Friday toward the spot where four Somali bandits are holding a U.S. sea captain aboard a drifting lifeboat.

American Captain Tries Daring Escape from Somali Pirates Both Sides Send Reinforcements to Pirate Standoff The American captain being held hostage by Somali pirates dove into the water during the night in an attempt to escape, but was quickly recaptured, Defense Department officials said today. The daring overnight escape attempt by Capt. Richard Phillips was the Vermont sailor's latest bit of heroics in the four day old drama on the high seas 300 miles from the nearest coastline. Phillips had earlier volunteered to be a hostage after his unarmed men took back their freighter, the Maersk Alabama, from the pirates....

<p>NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Pirates and U.S. warships are racing to the spot in the Indian Ocean where an American sea captain is being held hostage by a handful of pirates.</p> <p>A Nairobi-based diplomat says the pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips have summoned assistance. He says skiffs and motherships are heading toward the area from the coast.</p>

Despite a hardline U.S. policy, there is no reason why federal officials can't negotiate directly with pirates who are holding a U.S. captain hostage off Somalia, a counterterrorism expert said Thursday. Nor is there anything to stop an independent party from paying for his release, said Juan Carlos Zarate, who served as deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism under former President George W. Bush. "The U.S. has a very clear policy of no concessions; that's different than no negotiations," said Zarate, now is a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The U.S. policy...

4 mins ago NAIROBI, Kenya – Escalating a dramatic Indian Ocean standoff, more U.S. warships — as well as pirate reinforcements with an international gallery of hostages — rushed Friday toward the spot where four Somali bandits are holding a U.S. sea captain aboard a drifting lifeboat.

The American sailor being held hostage by Somali pirates managed to jump off the lifeboat overnight but was recaptured, NBC News reported Friday. Captain Richard Phillips tried to swim away before being taken back into the pirates' custody, NBC's Jim Miklaszewski told the TODAY show. The escape bid was witnessed by the U.S. Navy but happened too quickly for them to come to his aid.

MOGADISHU/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy negotiated on Thursday with Somali pirates who held an American ship captain hostage in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean, their first such seizure of a U.S. citizen. The gunmen briefly hijacked the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama freighter Wednesday, but the 20 American crew retook control after a confrontation far out at sea where pirates have captured five other vessels in a week. Four gang members were holding the captain, Richard Phillips, on the ship's lifeboat after he apparently volunteered to be a hostage for the sake of his crew. The Bainbridge, a U.S. warship,...

The U.S. Navy negotiated on Thursday with Somali pirates who held an American ship captain hostage in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean, their first such seizure of a U.S. citizen. The gunmen briefly hijacked the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama freighter Wednesday, but the 20 American crew retook control after a confrontation far out at sea where pirates have captured five other vessels in a week. Four gang members were holding the captain, Richard Phillips, on the ship's lifeboat after he apparently volunteered to be a hostage for the sake of his crew. The Bainbridge, a U.S. warship, arrived on the...

FBI in hostage talks with Somalis Capt Phillips apparently offered himself as a hostage to save his crew The US Navy has called in FBI hostage negotiators to help secure the release of a US captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean. Capt Richard Phillips was taken from the Maersk Alabama cargo ship after it was briefly seized by pirates. Officials said a US warship had arrived in the area and was remaining in sight of the lifeboat during the tense talks. Relatives of the Maersk Alabama crew told US media the ship was now...

Here is an updated video report this morning on the hostage situation that has resulted from the hijacking of an American-flagged Cargo Ship yesterday by Somali Pirates. The ship is back under the control of the American crew who fought back and retook the ship. But some of the pirates escaped into a life-boat and took the captain of the ship, Richard Phillips with them as a hostage, demanding ransom for his release. The U.S. Navy is now in the vicinity of the life-boat, but say there is little they can do without putting the life of the hostage at...

The U.S. is closing in on pirates that hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Somalia. According to a spokesman for the owner of the Maersk Alabama, which had been hijacked by pirates before American crew members were able to regain control of the vessel Wednesday, a U.S. Navy warship arrived at the scene Wednesday night. The ship's captain still is being held hostage on a smaller boat. Family members said Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew. "What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," said Gina...