Turkish sailors kidnapped by pirates freed
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Fifteen Turkish crew members of a cargo ship who were kidnapped by pirates last month off west Africa have been freed, a shipping company announced Friday. Boden Denizcilik said all 15 seamen were safe and had made contact with their families. They would be flown back to Turkey as soon as possible, it said. The company did not provide details on their release and it was not known if a ransom was paid. The state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying they would be brought back to Turkey, from Abuja, Nigeria on board a Turkish Airlines flight. The Liberian-flagged M/V Mozart was sailing from Lagos, Nigeria, to Cape Town, South Africa, when it was attacked on Jan. 23 about 100 nautical miles northwest of the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe.
