“ Under the terms of the agreement, which he said could still fall apart at any time, Richard Phillips and the four pirates holding him would all go free, and a “small” ransom would be paid.
— from a Bloomberg news story “Pirate Says Implementation of Deal on U.S. Captain Postponed”
It continues: “The New York Times quoted Somali officials as saying negotiations had broken down after U.S. officials insisted that the pirates be arrested and a group of Somali elders representing the pirates balked at that demand.”
So we have the Obama administration negotiating with terrorists, agreeing to pay them a ransom *and* let them go free without any “criminal charges,” all while the US Navy ineptly, humiliatingly watches the “crime scene” float closer to shore every hour.
Obama hope and change.
2 years ago