Egyptian crewmen overpower captors

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The crew of two Egyptian fishing vessels overpowered Somali pirates after being held hostage for four months and, with machetes and tools, killed at least two pirates before sailing to freedom, a pirate and businessmen said Friday.

The case marked a rare instance of crewmen fighting back against Somali pirates, who usually hold their hostages for months in anticipation of million-dollar ransoms.

One pirate was in custody after local fishermen found him near shore with machete wounds, police said.

A top manager of the Yemeni fishing company that hired the vessels, the Ahmed Samara and Momtaz 1, said the crew may have been helped by gunmen the pirates hired to help watch over the boat.

A pirate who told The Associated Press he escaped the ordeal said the fight Thursday took place near the coastal town of Las Qorey off the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest waterways and where Somali pirates carry out most of their attacks.

"They attacked us with machetes and other tools, seized some of our guns and then fought with us," the pirate, who gave

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