French forces killed pirate's hostage aboard the Tanit during rescue attempt

Article published on the 2009-05-04 Latest update 2009-05-05 06:26 TU

The French yacht, the Tanit, with armed pirates aboard
(Photo: Marine Nationale/Reuters)

Florent Lemacon was killed accidentally by a member of the French armed forces during a rescue attempt, according to a French media report. Lemacon was aboard the Tanit yacht, which had been captured by Somali pirates last month. Special Forces stormed the yacht, but Lemacon was hit accidentally by a bullet.

In a report on Monday, Europe 1 radio said that Lemacon was hit by a bullet fired by French troops, when they stormed the Tanit yacht on 10 April. It had been unclear whether Lemacon was killed by friendly fire or by one of the pirates on board.

Two of the pirates were killed in the assault, and Lemacon apparently got caught in the crossfire as he tried to shield his son.

Special Forces had been monitoring the situation aboard the yacht and decided to take action when they believed that the pirates might murder one of the hostages. They successfully rescued the other four hostages.

A plane from the French Interior Ministry prepares to land on 12 April with the rescued hostages of the Tanit yacht
(Photo: AFP)

Three pirates attacked the Tanit on 6 April, and prosecutors investigating the incident said last month they were unable to conclude who was responsible for the fatal shot. Defence Minister Hervé Morin had not ruled out friendly fire.

Europe 1 did not reveal its sources in the report, but did say that the findings of the coroner, the account of the assault and the testimony of Lemacon’s wife coincide.

The fatal bullet has not been found, but it pierced Lemacon’s hand before hitting him in the face.

Meanwhile, on Sunday in the ongoing fight against piracy, French forces captured 11 suspected Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya.