Incident: France releases pirate suspects

Three men captured on what appeared to be a mothership are released by "the captain of the French frigate Nivose." Nivose, on duty with an EU squadron, found gear on the captured vessel from the hijacked Bow Asir but no weapons. The suspected mothership, raided yesterday, was found "420 nautical miles east of the Somali coast in the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone." (AFP, 05/01/09)