Somali pirates hijack yacht, four American soldiers kidnapped

First secretary at the UN Somali mission Omar Jamal, confirmed the attack and identified the yacht as the S/V Quest. Jamal said the mission is calling for the immediate release of the hostages and all other captives who are in the hands of the pirates.

He said the hijacking raises "serious concern" as it follows the sentencing in New York on February 17 of a Somali pirate who kidnapped and brutalized the captain of a US-flagged merchant ship off the coast of Africa in 2009.

The pirates earn multimillion dollar ransoms from the hijackings, holding 29 ships and more than 700 hostages.