Al Shabab announced it opposed the taking of ships owned by Muslims and promised to behead those who did.
Al Shabab "made it dead clear that any ransom that is collected they will take it; they will take away their money and kill them," Ballarin said.
There is an American woman involved in the negotiations, Michele Lynn Ballarin.
My goal is to unwind all 17 ships and all 450 people they've been holding," she said.
Ballarin said the involvement of the Somali Islamist group, Al Shabab, had helped turn the tide in her favor by putting the fear of death into the young pirates. She claimed the Islamist group had captured, tortured and killed a young male relative of one of the pirates in the last few days.
Today the pirates lowered their ransom demand for the M/V Faina down to 3 million US. They started out at 35 million, then down to 8, and now 3.
If it's true about the Islamists, I think pretty soon these pirates will be walking away, just hoping they escape with their lives.
