Somali pirates 'to use British couple as insurance against military rescue of Spanish fishing boat and its 36 crew'

Equally, if any attempt is made to rescue Paul and Rachel Chandler, the tuna fishermen will pay the price, the pirate leader told the Spanish government-owned news ageny EFE.

Speaking by radio telephone from the Somali port of Haradhere, a pirate stronghold, to an EFE correspondent in Mogadishu, the pirate gave his name as Shamun Indhobur.   

He said that the Chandlers would be held for ransom and said that their family should get in contact to negotiate the couple's release.

'We ask their families to get in contact with us and pay what we ask,' he was quoted as saying.

The pirate chief said that the British yacht had been boarded near the Seychelles and was now on its way to the coast of Somalia.

It had been seized by the same group that took over the Basque owned tuna fishing vessel Alakrana on October 2, he said.

He then warned that if any attempt was made to rescue those aboard either vessel those on the other would suffer.   

The pirate told EFE: 'We are the same group. We have the Spanish ship and this new yacht, and we warn naval forces that they must avoid any military action, because if one is attacked, we will punish those from the other.'