Shafaq News / An attempted hijacking of a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday appears to have been carried out by Somali pirates and not Yemeni Houthis, the Pentagon said on Monday.

"We're continuing to assess, but initial indications that these five individuals are Somali," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.

"Clearly a piracy related incident," Ryder added.

A U.S. Navy warship responded to a distress call on Sunday from the commercial tanker Central Park that had been seized by armed individuals. The attackers were taken aboard the U.S. warship Mason and the Central Park and its crew are safe, the U.S. military said.

(Reuters)