Aarrr! More Pirates

So you may have heard last week about the Somalian Pirates who captured a boat loaded with Russian tanks. Well the pesky pirates are at it again, but this time something is a little fishy.

So a few days pirates captured a Iranian ship. The cargo was suppose to be minerals, however I am pretty sure its not minerals. Many of the pirates suffered hairloss, skin burns, and some even died a few days later.

Pirates die strangely after taking Iranian ship
The Times--A tense standoff has developed in waters off Somalia over an Iranian merchant ship laden with a mysterious cargo that was hijacked by pirates.

Somali pirates suffered skin burns, lost hair and fell gravely ill “within days” of boarding the MV Iran Deyanat. Some of them died.

Andrew Mwangura, the director of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, told the Sunday Times: “We don’t know exactly how many, but the information that I am getting is that some of them had died. There is something very wrong about that ship.”

The vessel’s declared cargo consists of “minerals” and “industrial products”. But officials involved in negotiations over the ship are convinced that it was sailing for Eritrea to deliver small arms and chemical weapons to Somalia’s Islamist rebels.

So its obvious that minerals are not on the boat, my first thought is that this is some potent chemcial. I wouldn't go as far and saw it was anything radioactive, skin burns sound more chemical. But here is where the story gets interesting. The US step in and offered a 7 million dollar bribe to the pirates just to board the ship.

US offers pirates $7m bribe for Iran ship entry

Press TV--The US has offered USD 7m to the pirates, who hijacked an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Aden, to receive entry permission and search the vessel. The hijackers have yet to respond to the USD 7m offer, but a source close to the pirates told Press TV that the pirates are likely to accept the bribe and allow the Americans onboard the vessel. The US the naval fleet off the Somali coast alleges that The Iran Diyanat was carrying 'uranium and chemical weapons'.

This doesn't sound good. A story like this could drive the US war machine back in gear.