AN American ship’s captain was freed unharmed yesterday in a US Navy operation that killed three of the four Somali pirates who had been holding him for days in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa, a senior US intelligence official said.

A GROUP of British tourists have narrowly escaped a pirate attack on their luxury yacht.

Somali pirates today said they had freed a ship carrying tanks and other heavy weapons after receiving a £2.2m (€2.5m) ransom.

One of the British sailors held captive by Somali pirates on a hijacked oil tanker made light of his ordeal and said the hostages’ families “don’t have too much to worry about”.

Somali pirates who hijacked Saudi oil super-tanker Sirius Star yesterday demanded $25 million (€19.9m) in ransom and set a 10-day deadline amid mounting calls for tougher action on sea bandits.