The fate of seven suspected Somali pirates who were captured by a Spanish warship is uncertain after Spanish prosecutors reversed plans to bring them to Spain to face trial.
A Spanish judge, Fernando Andreu, ordered the Somali men released on Friday. However, he refused the prosecution's request to surrender them to Kenyan authorities, saying it would violate the law, since proceedings were already taking place in Spain.
A Spanish ship seized the men off the coast of Somalia Wednesday after their boat capsized during their alleged attempt to hijack a Panamanian-flagged vessel.
France is prosecuting 15 piracy suspects in its own courts, though it has transferred others to Kenya, including 11 who were handed over on Friday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
