Sure we should execute pirates, but isn’t it Negotiation 101 as to what sort of signal you send when you detain the emissary?
I would reserve comment about what the negotiator should or should not have done. First, I'm reticent to believe anything that comes from the New York Times. And second, I'm hesitant to second-guess the on-scene negotiator without access to all the facts he surely would have had.
My point was/is that there is a role for the FBI when American citizens are being held against their will. And, it would be ridiculous not to try negotiate a favorable outcome, before electing to directly engage the hostage-takers. Boarding a ship on the open sea is much riskier than entering a bank or a home in a hostage situation, and look at how LE is loathe to do that. They won't unless they believe their is an immediate danger to the hostages.