This has to be one of the most lucid and rationale ransom demands by a hostage taker that I've ever heard:
The transcript of the ransom call made by Somali pirates to the BBC:
Caller: "They have been captured by our brothers, who patrol the coast. We have been informed about their presence in the area, where bandits operate. If they do not harm us, we will not harm them, we only need a little amount of seven million dollars."
Recipient of call: "Seven million dollars is a lot of money, isn't it?"
Caller: "No, no, no, Nato operations have had a lot of negative impact here, they have destroyed a lot of equipment belonging to the poor local fishermen.
"They arrest fishermen and destroy their equipment, in defiance of our local administrations.
"They illegally transfer the fishermen to their own prisons, and prisons of other foreign countries, so when you consider the damage and all the people affected, we say the amount is not big."
Caller: "They have been captured by our brothers, who patrol the coast. We have been informed about their presence in the area, where bandits operate. If they do not harm us, we will not harm them, we only need a little amount of seven million dollars."
Recipient of call: "Seven million dollars is a lot of money, isn't it?"
Caller: "No, no, no, Nato operations have had a lot of negative impact here, they have destroyed a lot of equipment belonging to the poor local fishermen.
"They arrest fishermen and destroy their equipment, in defiance of our local administrations.
"They illegally transfer the fishermen to their own prisons, and prisons of other foreign countries, so when you consider the damage and all the people affected, we say the amount is not big."
