Monday, May 13, 2013
Somali pirates guard a beach in Somalia. German police say fingerprints link the man they have arrested to the Marida Marguerite, seized off Oman. Photograph: Badri Media/epa/Corbis
Police say fingerprints link suspect to ship for which 'several million dollar ransom' was paid
German police have arrested an asylum seeker alleged to have acted as an accountant for Somali pirates who seized an oil tanker in 2010.
Lower Saxony state police say the man, identified only as M, was arrested last Wednesday at a refugee centre in the city of Giessen. Police said the man's fingerprints had been linked to the capture of the Marida Marguerite and its 22 crew off Oman.
The Somali pirates allegedly tortured their captives for seven months before receiving a "several million dollar ransom."
According to a German police statement on Monday, the man was in charge of doling out the ransom money and supplying the ship with food.
He has been remanded in custody pending an indictment on charges of kidnapping and serious bodily harm.