Somali pirate kingpin arrested: security sources

[MOGADISHU] Somali security forces have arrested one of the country's most powerful pirate chiefs, who once hijacked giant vessels earning him multi-million dollar ransoms, security sources said.

Mohamed Garfanji was seized late on Sunday in the capital Mogadishu along with several of his well-armed bodyguards, according to foreign and Somali security sources.

There was no official confirmation from the internationally-backed government, and sources could not confirm if he was still being held.