Poland Point

Normally, Ms Pietrzak admits, the goal of the inquiry is to bring the Somali pirates to trial.

'We realise that this will be a special inquiry and that it's hard to predict its outcome today', says Ms Pietrzak. 'Our capabilities are limited, but it's possible we'll make further steps'.

What could these be? The Prosecutor's Office will not say. At its request, the investigation is being handled by the Szczecin branch of the Internal Security Agency (ABW). Why the ABW which is allowed to operate only in Poland? 'We always open an inquiry whenever a Polish citizen falls victim to a terrorist attack, no matter where it's happened', says Major Katarzyna Koniecpolska-Wróblewska, ABW spokesperson. 'Of course, we are unable to intervene directly in this case, but we'll have the hijackers and their organisation in our database. If anyone of them ever finds himself in our jurisdiction, the inquiry will be a legal basis for arresting them'.

The Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star, carrying $100 million worth of crude, was hijacked by pirates off the Kenya coast Saturday. There are two Poles aboard - the captain and an electrotechnical officer. The pirates have demanded a ransom of $25 million. Under the Polish law, kidnapping carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.

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