MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates said on Sunday they had captured a Spanish fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean.
A pirate who gave his name as Ibrahim told Reuters by phone: "My men have hijacked a Spanish fishing vessel from the Indian Ocean. They are on board and safe."
Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East Africa Seafarers Assistance Programme told Reuters by phone they were aware a fishing vessel had been seized, but its ownership was unclear.
The Spanish foreign ministry in Madrid said it was checking the reports.
Mwangura said pirates had demanded a $3 million (2 million pound) ransom for a North Korea-flagged cargo ship captured early last month.
The pirates were threatening to kill the 10-man Syrian crew of the Libyan-owned MV RIM, he said. Somali pirates have received millions of dollars in ransom payments for various ships in recent months.
(Reporting by Mohamed Ahmed and Duncan Miriri in Nairobi; Editing by Michael Roddy)
