Pirates Demand $7M for Brit Couple

Somali pirates demanded $7 million in ransom on Friday for British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler, whom they kidnapped last week. The pirates’ spokesman said the figure was “a little amount,” and was owed them for international anti-piracy patrol seizures. "When you consider the damage and all the people affected, we say the amount is not big,” the spokesman explained in a call to BBC. This marks the first mention of an exact ransom since the Chandlers were captured while on board their yacht off the Seychelles last Friday. Though the retired couple will likely be unable to pay that kind of money, the demand may lead to further negotiations. The Chandlers’ niece said the family was looking into the pirates’ demand while a Foreign Office spokesman said, “The Government isn't going to make any substantive concessions to hostage-takers, and that includes the payment of ransom." In a phone call to her brother earlier today, Rachel Chandler said the captors were “very hospitable” and assured him that she and her husband, Paul, were unharmed.