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Pirates Demand $7M For Couple's Release

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Oct 30, 2009 8:42 pm US/Eastern

Pirates Demand $7M For Couple's Release

LONDON (AP) ― The BBC says Somali pirates have called the broadcaster to demand $7 million in return for releasing a British couple whose yacht was hijacked off the coast of Africa.

The BBC cited an unidentified caller as saying the size of the ransom was justified because NATO forces in the area had arrested Somali fishermen and destroyed their equipment.

Paul and Rachel Chandler were headed to Tanzania in their boat, the Lynn Rival, when a distress signal was sent Oct. 23.

The British navy found their empty yacht on Thursday. Both have been in sporadic contact with the British media since.

High-seas hijackings are common off the coast of Somalia despite an international armada of warships deployed to patrol the region.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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