NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somali pirates searching for a high-seas victim picked the wrong vessel to hijack.
The EU Naval Force says pirates in two small skiffs on Wednesday made a fast approach toward the HNLMS Tromp, apparently oblivious to the fact they were approaching a Dutch warship.
A spokesman for the force, Cmdr. John Harbour, says the Dutch personnel fired several warning shots at the skiffs, who made a hasty retreat. Harbour says the pirates probably realized they made a "silly mistake."
EU Naval Force personnel tracked down the skiffs and a third suspected mothership, finding ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades onboard.
The EU Naval Force has disrupted 11 pirate attack groups off the coast of East Africa over the last two weeks.
