Published: 4 Dec 2010
Russian Navy commandos destroy Somali pirate vessel, killing all on board. WARNING some images in this video may distress some viewers
Russian Navy commandos raid Somali pirate ship after the armed Somali pirates had captured a Russian oil tanker, the Liberian-flagged Moscow University, off the Horn of Africa.
At the time of the raid in May this year, ABC TV in the US relied on the Russian government reports that the pirates had been left at sea in a small craft to fend for themselves. It was several weeks later when the video tape recording their brutal execution surfaced.
After the commandos freed their compatriots and the tanker then handcuffed the pirates on their vessel, confiscated all weapons and explosives then exploded the vessel with all remaining pirates hand-cuffed to it.
This 'take no prisoners' approach is said to date back to 18th and 19th century anti-piracy laws where the captain of the rescuing ship has the right to decide what to do with the pirates. Usually, they were hung.
