Russian naval bosses said Thursday that pirates among 29 it captured on a so-called mother ship off Somalia have been handed over to Iranian and Pakistani investigators, news agencies reported.
"At the start of May, after having conducted preliminary enquiries aboard the Admiral Panteleev (destroyer)… one group of pirates held were delivered to Iranian authorities and another to Pakistan," a representative of Russian naval high command was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti.
Russian sailors had seized seven Kalachnikov machine-guns, handguns of different calibres, satellite navigation devices and a large number of empty shells at the time of the operation, said Russia's defence ministry.
Trials relating to a spiralling upsurge in pirate attacks in the region over the last year are largely being hosted by Kenya, following agreements with the European Union, the United States and Britain.
Dozens of Somalis arrested on the high seas by French naval forces are currently awaiting trial for piracy in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.
A Somali teenager captured by US forces in a high-seas drama is to stand trial in New York.
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