According to the alert of the "EU Maritime Security Center in the Indian Ocean", a vessel named "Azini" was seized at 9:00 AM GMT on October 29, off the coast of Somalia and between the coastal cities of "Bender Bila" and "Hapon" in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
Puntland security officials in Ogo confirmed this boat hijacking with AFP and said eight armed men from coastal and remote areas near "Bila Namal" carried out this land attack.
A security source said: "There were two Somali guards on board, but the number of pirates was greater and they overpowered the guards."
He added: "They were fishing near the shore, which made them vulnerable to kidnapping."
According to Reuters, another security source said that apart from the two Somali guards, there were 21 crew members on board whose status was "unclear". "Azini" is the third Iranian fishing boat hijacked off the coast of Somalia since July.