Danish family whose yacht has been seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean will be killed if there is any attempt to rescue the family, a pirate said Tuesday.
The declaration comes on the heels of the four kidnapped Americans who were gunned down by pirates last week.
Abdullah Mohamed told The Associated Press that he has connections to the gang holding the family, a Danish couple with three teenagers who are 13, 15 and 17 years old.
On board are also two deck hands, both Danes, helping the family sail from the Maldives in the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea as part of an around-the-world trip.
The family managed to make an emergency call before its 43-foot-long boat was seized Thursday. News of the hijacking was kept confidential until Monday.
Last week, the 17-year-old son wrote on the family's blog that everything was normal and they had not been attacked. The family noted that it was in daily contact with anti-piracy forces and even had an emergency "piracy plan" in case the boat was seized.
The blog identified the family as Jan Quist Johansen; his wife, Birgit Marie Johansen; sons Rune and Hjalte, and a daughter, Naja.
The Danish warship Esbern Snare currently is headed to the area where the boat was hijacked, approximately 200 miles off the Somali coast, the Copenhagen Post reported.
"The authorities are following this case very closely, and we will do everything in our power to assist the Danes on board and their relatives," said Lene Espersen, Denmark's foreign minister.
Last week, two couples -- Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle of Seattle and Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif. -- were shot and killed by their Somali captors.
Source: nydailynews.com
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