A French naval vessel has intercepted 11 armed pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman, who says the pirates were traveling in two assault vessels and a so-called "mothership" loaded with provisions, Kalashnikovs, rockets, and rocket launchers. He says all 11 are Somali nationals.
The pirates were nabbed about 560 miles off the coast of Somalia early this morning, the spokesman told France-Info radio. He added that it was the ship's third successful pirate-grab in recent weeks; France-Info reported 24 pirates were detained in those operations. (More France stories.)