MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – Three Somali pirates were killed in a fight over the ransom paid to free the German-American journalist who was released this week after two years and eight months of captivity, a police official said Friday.
The gunfight broke out in the central town of Galkayo late Thursday when some of the pirates who held Michael Scott Moore attacked their comrades, accusing them of conducting a secret deal with negotiators, said Mohamed Hassan. A top pirate commander was among three people killed after Moore was freed on Tuesday, he said, adding that one camp of pirates accused the other of betrayal.
The clash started after one group of pirates appeared unwilling to share the cash with others, said Bile Hussein, a pirate commander in the coastal town of Hobyo, told The Associated Press on Friday. He said earlier that a ransom of $1.6 million was paid by Somali intermediaries acting on behalf of Germany.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry hasn’t confirmed money was paid and U.S. policy forbids the payment of ransoms.
The 45-year-old Moore, who holds both German and U.S. citizenship, was flown to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he was said to be getting medical care after being freed in Somalia, according to Germany’s Foreign Ministry. A statement issued Thursday through the German magazine Der Spiegel, for which Moore had freelanced in the past, said he was safe but not healthy.