Pirates demand ransom for British couple

The Somali pirates who kidnapped Britons Paul and Rachel Chandler have demanded a $7m (£4.3) ransom. In a phone call translated by the BBC, one of the pirates said: "If they do not harm us, we will not harm them - we only need a little amount of $7 million dollars." Mr Chandler, 59, and his 55-year-old wife, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, were captured in the early hours of Friday 23 October, when armed men boarded their yacht. A Foreign Office spokesman said of the ransom demand: "We are aware of that report. The Government isn't going to make any substantive concessions to hostage-takers, and that includes the payment of ransom." The caller reportedly said: "They have been captured by our brothers, who patrol the coast. We have been informed about their presence in the area, where bandits operate." He claimed the amount would cover damage caused by Nato. Earlier, a tearful Rachel Chandler had urged her family not to worry about her in a phone call to ITV News, telling brother Stephen Collett she was "bearing up" and added: "Please do not worry about us. We are managing." Leah Mickleborough, the couple's niece, said the family had been unaware of the ransom request before they saw it on BBC News 24. As the Chandlers' ordeal enters its second week, British Government officials are holding urgent talks on their plight at the Cobra emergency briefing room.

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ITN | October 30, 2009

Tags:. .briefing. .informed. .bearing. .concessions. .unaware