U.K. Couple Confirm They Are in Pirates' Custody
"I was asleep and men with guns came onboard," Paul Chandler told ITV News.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct. 29, 2009 — -- A retired British man who was kidnapped by pirates along with his wife told a television station today that the pirates crept aboard his yacht while he was sleeping.
"I was asleep and men with guns came onboard, " Paul Chandler told British television channel ITV news.
Chandler's stepbrother reportedly confirmed that it was Chandler's voice on the call. Chandler also said the couple were forced to sail to Somalia and were now being held captive on a container ship that was hijacked earlier.
The pirates have not officially asked for ransom, Chandler told ITV, but "they kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat," he said.
British naval officials confirmed the Chandler's yacht, the Lynn Rival, was located off the coast of Somalia.
"Paul and Rachel Chandler were not on board the yacht," said a British Navy spokesman in a statement to ABC News. "We do not have any reason to believe they have been harmed."
The couple were sailing towards Tanzania after leaving the Seychelles islands in East Africa when they sent up a distress signal early Friday. The area is known for its problems with piracy, and the Chandlers reportedly told relatives that they had delayed leaving the Seychelles for a few days because of pirate activity.
Pirates have taken responsibility for abducting the couple and spoken to several news organizations about them.
The pirates have said the hostages are safe, but warn that if naval forces launch a rescue effort similar to the that in the Maersk Alabama hijacking, when the pirates holding Captain Richard Phillips were killed, they will harm the Chandlers.
"They are old and we will take care of them. That is if we are not attacked," one pirate told Reuters. "If warships surround us, we shall point our guns at the British tourists. "
A local fisherman said he saw the couple being taken to a fishing village on the coast of Somalia, according to the Associated Press. The couple's family is also reportedly headed to Tanzania to await news of their release.
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