French army frees hostages off Somalia

French commandos stormed a sailboat to free two French tourists who were being held for ransom by heavily-armed Somali pirates, President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday.

One pirate was killed and six others taken prisoner in the pre-dawn assault by some 30 troops. The freed hostages and the captured pirates were put on a French navy vessel sailing towards Djibouti, where France has an army base.

"This operation... is a warning to all those engaged in this criminal activity. France will not accept that crime pays," Mr Sarkozy said after the operation.

Somali pirates have hijacked more than 30 ships so far this year, making the shipping lanes in the busy Gulf of Aden the most dangerous in the world.

Hours after the French attack, Somali gunmen hijacked an oil or chemical tanker believed to be Hong Kong-owned, a maritime official said.

The couple freed yesterday were seized on September 2 by gunmen who had demanded a ransom of more than $1.4 million and the release of the pirates captured in April.