Michele Ballarin, an american businesswoman with connections to U.S. intelligence and the military, has been talking with the Somali pirates who have commandeered the Saudi oil tanker Sirius Star, trying to get the ship released, ABC News has confirmed.(AP Photos)From ABC News:
Virginia Businesswoman Michele Ballarin Returned Just Last Week From Somalia
An American businesswoman with connections to U.S. intelligence and the military has been talking with the Somali pirates who have commandeered the Saudi oil tanker Sirius Star, trying to get the ship released, ABC News has confirmed.
First reported by Military.com, the pirates, who have halted all talks with the ship's owners, are talking to a woman named Michele Lynn Ballarin, instead.
Frustrated with the pirates, a senior government official told ABC News, "It's pretty sad when a horse country socialite has more sway in Somalia than the whole U.S. government."
Ballarin's eventual goal is to turn Somalia from a failed state into a functioning one, according to a business colleague.
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My Comment: My gut tells me that there is more to this story than what we are being told.