Pirates hijack cargo ship carrying Turkish weapons off Somalia’s coast, official says

Pirates hijacked a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship off Somalia’s Puntland coast earlier this week and took the vessel, which was carrying Turkish weapons, toward the region’s Nugaal coast, a Somali official said Thursday.

The M/V LUTUF was seized on Monday about 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about sensitive information.

The ship, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was carrying weapons bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu, as well as communications and satellite equipment, the official said.

The 10-member crew included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards, he said.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish authorities about the incident.