Somali Pirates Kill 4 Americans Off Coast with Hostage-Release Negotiations Pending

Americans Jean Adam, Scott Adam, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle are dead. The four were murdered by Somali pirates who on Friday hijacked S/V Quest, a yacht belonging to Jean and Scott Adam.

The U.S. Navy engaged the pirates who hijacked the S/V Quest too late to save the four. After hearing gunshots, the Navy captured or killed all of the pirates involved. 13 pirates are in custody and two are dead following the military engagement.

Pirates shot the four Americans to death about 1 a.m. Eastern Time, despite ongoing negotiations to secure their release.

Somalia's UN Mission first reported the pirates' hijacking of the S/V Quest. Owners Jean and Scott Adam lived on the yacht and traveled the world in it. The couple was from California and were accompanied on their trip by Macay, 59, and Riggle, 67, of Seattle . The Adamses had been at sea since 2004 and planned to continue their journey for a decade, until their dream was cut short by Somali pirates. Their yacht was captured by pirates 275 miles off the Oman coast.

Somalia's lack of a functional government has allowed pirates free reign off its coast. Four months ago, pirates captured a South African couple, Bruno Pelizzari and Deborah Calitz, who were sailing on their yacht the S/Y Choizil. Brits Paul and Rachel Chandler likewise were taken hostage from their Lynn Rival in 2009 and were in captivity nearly 400 days. Florent Lemacon, a French yachtsman, was killed in 2009 during a rescue operation after his yacht, the Tanit, was hijacked off the Somalia coast. Pirates have also hijacked numerous cargo ships and held crew members for ransom in recent years.

Jean and Adam Scott were on a religious mission distributing bibles at each of their ports when pirates overtook their yacht. In the aftermath of the hijacking, the head of Dryad Maritime Intelligence predicted that the pirates would not harm the captives. Graeme Gibbon-Brooks noted that the motive for such kidnappings is usually ransom.

The Americans killed Tuesday were among more than 660 hostages currently held by Somali pirates, captured from some 30 ships.

A pirate named Hassan told the AP shortly before the S/V Quest hijacking that Americans would be targeted and would suffer "regrettable consequences" in retaliation for last week's sentencing of pirate Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse to 33 years in prison. Muse was captured when US naval forces rescued ship captain Richard Phillips in 2009 after pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama.