Tag Archive for: Danish frigate

Denmark finds Nigerian guilty in piracy case

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On Monday 26th of November, a Danish court found a Nigerian man guilty of endangering the lives of Danish military personnel in a shooting incident last November involving Denmark’s Navy and a crew of suspected Nigerian pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Nigerian man, 40 year old, Lucky Frances, was however not sentenced. The incident occurred when as part of international anti-piracy efforts, Denmark deployed a frigate to the Gulf of Guinea in October 2021. The following month, it intervened in an alleged attack on a commercial vessel, killing four pirates and capturing four other suspects.

“The court emphasized that the (40-year-old) man, together with the other perpetrators, fulfilled all the signs of piracy and had to be described as a pirate group,” Copenhagen city court said in a statement.

Frances was injured during a firefight with Danish navy personnel in the November clash and was taken to Denmark for prosecution in January after being treated at a hospital in Ghana. His leg was amputated as a result of his injuries. The other three suspects had charges against them dropped in January, after Denmark failed to find a country in the region to take them, the Danish Armed Forces said at the time.

Frances was exempted from any legal consequences due to his medical condition and the fact that charges against the other three suspected pirates had been dropped, according to his lawyer Jesper Storm Thygesen, speaking to Reuters news agency here. Frances will remain in custody until both sides have decided whether to appeal against the verdict. We will continue to monitor the case.

Denmark drops piracy case against suspects

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In November 2021, we reported that Danish military personnel responded to an attack upon a Danish Frigate – Esbern Snare – operating in the Gulf of Guinea.  You can read the news by clicking here.
According to an AFP News Agency report, the three suspected pirates detained on the Danish navy vessel will not face prosecution in Denmark over allegedly attacking the Danish personnel, according to their lawyers.
On Thursday, January 6, 2022, one of the lawyers for the suspects, Niels Anker Rasmussen, said that the prosecutor has decided not to prosecute his client and that he will be released “shortly”.  Two more lawyers representing the other two suspects told Danish media that the case against their clients had also been dropped and they too would be released.
Rasmussen also said that the decision not to prosecute the suspects was likely due to fears that, after any prosecution, his client would/could not be sent back home due to Denmark’s obligations, (i.e. under international conventions), and that if he did remain then this might inspire others to follow suit.
You can read the full news report by clicking here.

Danish frigate kills four pirates in Gulf of Guinea

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The Danish Navy has released a statement that the Frigate Esbern Snare currently operating in the Gulf of Guinea, was able to respond to reports issued of an increased threat of piracy in the South of Nigeria. The Naval Frigate deployed the Seahawk helicopter to carry out advance observations.

The crew of the helicopter identified a speeding motorboat with eight (8), suspicious persons, onboard, with tools associated with piracy, including ladders. The Esbern Snare launched her RHIB’s manned by members of the Frogman Corps to board the suspicious motorboat. The Esbern Snare made attempts to hail the motorboat to instruct and allow the Frogman to board, no response was received the Danish Soldiers fired warning shots which immediately resulted in the suspected pirates returning fire.
The Danish Soldiers reacted in self-defense and returned fire. It was reported that the pirate motorboat was sunk with five pirates being hit. Four (4) were confirmed as dead and one injured. The remaining three (3) were captured. All eight (8) pirates have been taken aboard the Frigate Esbern Snare, with medical treatment being issued to the injured man.
As more information becomes available and verified, we will update further.