Akhir 19, 1432 H/March 24, 2011, SPA -- Six pirates who seized a Finnish-owned freighter 20 months ago were given lengthy prison terms by a Russian court on Thursday, according to dpa. The men, from Russia and Latvia, took control of the "ArcticSea" in the Baltic Sea in October 2009 and forced it to sail to East Africa before being stopped by the Russian navy. A court in the northern Russian port of Archangel gave the six pirates prison terms ranging from seven to 12 years. Two others were jailed last year. The ship disappeared for a time after it was seized. Governments and spy agencies of around 20 countries were involved in investigating the incident. Reports said the "ArcticSea," which was listed with having a cargo of timber, might have been carrying radioactive material or weapons. The freighter was returned to its owners in Malta in October 2009. The Malta Maritime Authority said then that inspectors had not found dangerous cargo on board the ship after checking it for several hours.
