Egypt secures release of 8 sailors held 151 days by Somali pirates

Egypt has freed eight Egyptian sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates in May after 151 days of captivity off the Somali coast.

• Somali pirates hijacked the cargo ship MT Eureka in May off Puntland as it carried diesel to Yemen's Mukalla port, with eight Egyptians and four Indians aboard.
• Ambassador Haddad El-Gohary confirmed the release, saying the sailors return to Cairo Friday after completing procedures at the Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu.
• Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty contacted Yemeni and Somali officials and the ship's Yemeni owner, and two operations rooms monitored the crisis.
• One freed sailor said pirates fled after a military intervention against their boats, having repeatedly threatened to burn the ship.
• The freed sailors described enduring shootings, beatings, and food shortages during their 151-day captivity.