Somali pirate suspects escape with police help, sources say

About 30 suspected Somali pirates arrested after the rescue of the oil tanker Sibu 1, also known as Seamull, escaped while being transported to jail in Puntland, four local security sources told AFP. The sources said police may have helped the getaway.

The tanker was intercepted by maritime police on September 25 and taken to the port town of Garacad after having been seized off Yemen on August 20 and brought to Somali waters. The vessel is sanctioned by the United States as part of Iran's so-called shadow fleet, accused of secretly exporting Iranian oil.

The four security sources said 28 suspects escaped on September 25 during a road transfer from Garacad to the state capital Garowe after the truck carrying them had a burst tyre and its door was unlocked. They said police recaptured 13 of the group, including one who was fatally wounded by gunfire.

Two of the sources said it was unusual to move suspects at night across multiple provinces, and one said restraints used during the initial arrest had been removed before the transfer. The brother of one suspect told AFP that he had escaped and was safe.

Puntland authorities had said after the rescue that 20 crew members were safe and one police officer was injured. Officials had also said three other hijacked tankers, Honour 25, MT Eureka and MT Asana, remained in pirate hands.

The International Maritime Organisation says there have been at least 15 Somali piracy attacks this year, the highest number since 2013.