S26 E1: The Murder Video | "The Outlaw Ocean"

Crimes like this don't often happen on land. A 10-minute
slow-motion slaughter captured by a cell phone camera shows a
group of unarmed men at sea, possibly 15 of them, killed one by
one by a semiautomatic weapon, after which the culprits pose for
celebratory selfies. The shocking footage is then made public,
and yet no government is willing to investigate, much less
prosecute the murderers. This episode traces a tireless
journalistic investigation of a shocking video that after 8
years, finally resulted in a 26-year conviction of the ship
captain who ordered the cold-blooded killing. Looking for
answers, this reporting takes us to the bizarre world of floating
armories, which are part bunkhouse, part weapons depot, where
maritime mercenaries wait for their next ship deployment. For
broader context, the story explores the explosion of violence on
the high seas, how Somali piracy is often used as a pretext for
bloodletting by private security guards and the reasons that
offshore crime often happens with impunity. Guest Interviews:
Duncan Copeland, Trygg Mat Tracking Kevin Thompson, Private
Maritime Security Guard





To hear all episodes of The Outlaw Ocean now, visit here.





For transcripts of this series, please visit here.