Garowe (AX) — Questions over a possible security breach have emerged in Puntland State after 28 suspected pirates escaped during their transfer to prison following the recovery of a hijacked oil tanker, with officials suggesting police insiders may have aided the flight.
The detainees were among 41 people arrested after the Puntland State Maritime Police Force (PMPF) rescued the oil tanker Sibu 1, also known as Seamull, in a counter-piracy operation near Garacad on Somalia’s northeastern coast on Friday.
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Puntland State authorities said the vessel’s crew was rescued safely.
Four security officials told AFP that the suspects were being transported from Garacad to Garowe, Puntland State’s capital, on Friday night when 28 broke free.
Speaking anonymously, the officials said the circumstances surrounding the escape appeared suspicious. They noted that suspects accused of serious crimes are not normally moved at night across multiple regions.
The truck carrying the detainees suffered a burst tyre during the journey, and the suspects then realised that the vehicle’s door had been left unlocked, according to the officials.
Police later recaptured 13 of those who fled. One of the escapees was fatally wounded by gunfire during the search, the security officials said.
One official said the suspects had been handcuffed and shackled after their arrest, but those restraints were removed before the transfer began.
“In Puntland State, we don’t move (suspects) at night across multiple provinces. Then later on the trip, the pirates ran from the vehicle because the lock on the door was missing. I don’t need to say anything else. It’s obvious,” said one source.
A second security official alleged that some members of the armed escort could have helped the detainees get away.
“There had to be insiders within the armed security detail,” the official said.
Authorities have not made public any evidence proving police involvement, and Puntland State officials have yet to disclose the findings of an investigation into the escape.
The brother of one suspect told AFP that his relative had escaped and was safe.
Puntland State maritime forces reclaimed Sibu 1 after a two-day operation that concluded on Friday. Regional authorities said one suspected pirate was killed and several others wounded, while all 20 crew members aboard the tanker remained unharmed.
Armed men seized the vessel on Aug. 20 in the Gulf of Aden, roughly 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, and later directed it toward Somali waters.
The United States has sanctioned Sibu 1, alleging that the vessel was involved in a so-called shadow fleet used to carry Iranian petroleum products in breach of U.S. sanctions.
The escape occurred as piracy incidents are again increasing in waters surrounding Somalia and Yemen.
The International Maritime Organization reported in July that 24 attempted or confirmed piracy and armed-robbery incidents had occurred in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the preceding three months. Dozens of seafarers were also being held captive aboard hijacked ships.
Somali piracy reached a peak between 2008 and 2014, when armed groups captured commercial vessels and crews for ransom. The wave triggered a major international naval operation and imposed billions of dollars in costs on the shipping industry.
The latest attacks have revived concerns over whether Somali pirate groups can extend their operations across the Gulf of Aden and into the western Indian Ocean.
– With files from the AFP
