Going Dutch

Dutch prosecutors are set to launch a criminal investigation into five suspected Somali pirates for allegedly hijacking a South African yacht and plan to eventually prosecute them in the Netherlands.

A national prosecutor’s office statement says the five men are being held on the navy ship “Amsterdam”, whose crew arrested them last month.

The men, aged between 20 and 30 years, are being transported to the Netherlands.

The Yacht, “Choizil”, was hijacked and off the coast of Tanzania and later run aground by pirates on Nov. 7. A South African husband and wife were taken ashore and are still being held hostage, while the yacht’s skipper remained on board and was later picked up by the French navy.