The pirates 'have all died:

MOSCOW, Russia — Following high level complaints about "imperfections" in international law, Russia announced Tuesday that captured Somali pirates "have all died." A Russian official claimed that 10 pirates seized by Russian special forces aboard an oil tanker last week were quickly freed but then died on their way back to the Somali coast.

The unidentified high-ranking Defense Ministry official did not elaborate on how the pirates died, deepening a mystery that has prompted speculation the pirates were executed by commandos who had freed a Russian oil tanker seized in waters 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Somalia's coast.

The official told Russian news agencies the pirates' boat disappeared from Russian radar about an hour after their release.

"They could not reach the coast and, apparently, have all died," the official said

h/t SDA