WORLD> Africa
US Navy detains 17 suspected pirates
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-14 22:01

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The US Navy says 17 suspected pirates have been apprehended after an attack on an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden.

US Navy detains 17 suspected pirates
Photo provided by the Bundeswehr shows a pirate boat before it was approached last month by German sailors in the Gulf of Aden. [Agencies]

The Navy said in a statement Thursday that Korean Destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great and the US guided missile cruiser Gettysburg dispatched helicopters to aid Motor Vessel Amira after it came under attack.

A Gettysburg-based specialized boarding team also boarded the suspected pirate "mothership," a larger vessel which pirates use for logistical support.

The Navy said it brought the alleged pirates on board the Gettysburg for further questioning. Also confiscated were eight assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a rocket-propelled grenade.

The incident occurred Wednesday, about 75 miles south of Yemen's al-Mukalla port.