Ransom Demand Made for Lost Ship

The missing Maltese-flagged ship that was reported off the coast of Africa appears to have been hijacked for a second time, CNN reports. “There has been a demand for ransom,” a Finnish police official said of the Russian-crewed Arctic Sea. “We are now dealing with two separate incidents—the alleged hijacking off the Swedish coast and now the alleged hijacking with a demand for ransom.”

“At this point I can't comment on whether we know the whereabouts of the ship,” the official said. Nor do investigators know where the ransom demand originated, said a Swedish police spokeswoman. The ship's crew has not communicated with authorities since July 31 and did not dock in North Africa as planned August 4. Swedish, Finnish, and Maltese investigators are working with 20 other countries on cracking the case. (More Arctic Sea stories.)