Mogadishu, 12 June-(ANA)-Somali pirates who tried to hijack a Norwegian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden fled when the aircraft from NATO's Portuguese warship NRP Corte-Real interrupted the attack.
After a dramatic three-hour chase, seven Somali pirates stood on the deck of their mother ship transfixed by the helicopter circling in the darkness above them.
They did not notice the team of commandos that had sneaked up beside them in a speedboat.
Marine Rafael Silva was the first to climb onto the dhow, where he came face to face with two stunned pirates. "They were very surprised," he said.
One of them moved to attack but Silva, 25, tackled and handcuffed him.
The other men were restrained on the deck before the Portuguese special forces stormed the bridge, manned by two bandits wielding AK-47s.
"When we saw them (the AK-47s) we got worried," said another marine, Ricardo Bolinhas.
But the stand-off ended peacefully. "We shouted at them to put their weapons on the floor and they did," he said.
The marines found more AK-47s, rocket propelled grenades, and enough high explosives to sink a ship.
The 19 Somalis were released and disarmed on the direction of authorities in Portugal. (ANA)
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