Author claims Somali pirates burned his books

The author of a novel about a man involved with fraud says in a court filing that Somali pirates burned more than 1 million copies of his book when they hijacked an American yacht.

Darren Keys is seeking to be recognized as a victim of 14 men charged with piracy in the hijacking of the yacht Quest, which resulted in the deaths of all four Americans on board.

In a handwritten filing, Keys says the Quest was a shipping vessel carrying his novel from New York to Iran and that the pirates demanded $10 million for his books. The Quest is a 58-foot yacht whose retired owners had been sailing around the world, often delivering Bibles.

A hearing on Keys’ motion is scheduled on Thursday in federal court.

The Associated Press