Somali pirates have hijacked another vessel in the Horn of Africa, a freighter seized overnight in the Gulf of Aden, maritime security contractors said today.

US president Barack Obama vowed to “halt the rise of piracy” as shipmates of the rescued American freighter captain called for tough action against Somali bandits.

Pirate hostages were feared at risk of a violent backlash from their captors today in the wake of the successful freeing of an American merchant captain.

The US Justice Department was considering whether to prosecute a Somali pirate in Washington, New York or Kenya, following the rescue of a US hostage and the arrest of his only surviving captor.

Snipers on a US Navy ship cut down three Somali pirates in a lifeboat and rescued an American sea captain in a surprise nighttime assault in choppy seas, ending a five-day standoff between a team of rogue gunmen and the world’s most powerful military.