Somali pirate leader arrested in Mogadishu on piracy related charges

MOGADISHU, Somalia – A Somali police official says security forces arrested a senior pirate commander in Mogadishu.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein said Monday that Mohamed Garfanji, considered to be the second-ranking leader of Somalia’s pirate industry, was arrested in Mogadishu Sunday for possessing illegal arms and other charges related to piracy.

Garfanji is the second top pirate leader arrested. Belgium arrested pirate kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan last year with a trick which lured him to Belgium to work on a documentary about piracy.

The arrest comes as the Somali government continues a disarmament campaign in Mogadishu that has seen hundreds of guns seized.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia once was a serious threat to the global shipping industry, but attacks have dropped dramatically the last several years after ships began carrying armed guards.

AP