Somali pirates kidnap ex-SF Weekly critic

Moore

The SF Weekly’s former theater critic, Michael Scott Moore, was captured by Somali pirates on Saturday, according to the LA Times and KTLA Los Angeles. Moore went to Somalia to do research for a book about the pirates. He was on his way to the airport when 15 men in SUVs kidnapped him, believing that he was a spy, the Times said. The pirates are demanding a ransom and will not negotiate until it is paid, KTLA said.

Former SF Weekly editor John Mecklin said on his blog that he hopes journalists contact their State Department connections to urge them to work for Moore’s release. (The blog posting was mentioned in an SF Weekly story about Moore’s abduction, but it appears to have been taken down from Mecklin’s blog). Photo credit: KTLA.