Pentagon Identifies Party Attempting to Hijack Commercial Ship in Gulf of Aden

The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced today, Monday, that the attempted hijacking of a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, Sunday, was likely carried out by Somali pirates and not Yemen's Houthis. Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated, "We are continuing to assess, but initial indicators suggest that these five individuals are Somali." Ryder added, "It is clear that the incident is related to piracy." A U.S. Navy warship responded to a distress call yesterday from the commercial tanker Central Park, which was seized by armed individuals. The U.S. military reported that the attackers were taken aboard the U.S. warship Mason, and that "Central Park" and its crew are safe.