WASHINGTON: The Pentagon on Monday said that the five-armed assailants arrested by US forces after seizing a ship near Yemen over the weekend were Somali nationals and not Houthis.
Recent attacks on commercial ships carried out by Houthis, seen as part of a rise in violence in the region because of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that though the Pentagon was still assessing the motive of the latest attack but one thing is confirmed that Houthis were not behind the latest attack.
He said as the piracy in the area is down, this was clearly a piracy-related event.
Yemen’s government blames Houthis for the attack
Yemen’s internationally recognized government in Aden had blamed the Houthis of attacking the MV Central Park in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.
The Liberian-flagged tanker, managed by Zodiac Maritime, sent out an emergency call and forces from the USS Mason, an American destroyer quickly responded.
Ryder went on to say the five assailants initially tried to flee in their small boats, but the US forces pursued them and fired warning shots, resulting in their surrender.
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Soon after the development two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen landed about 10 nautical miles from the Mason. Ryder said the US destroyer did not try to intercept the missiles because they splashed into the water.
He said it was still not clear whether the ballistic missiles were fired at the Mason.
