An armed Somali pirate sits along the coastline of Hobyo town in northeastern Somalia on January 7, 2010. (Mohamed Dahir-AFP-Getty)

Are ‘Somali Pirates’ Real? Some may only be acting. According to Channel 4 the “fixer” offers journalists the opportunity to interview real live pirates – for a fee of US $200. Touting his local knowledge, he promises to reach parts of the community a western journalist never could. He then follows an elaborate scheme to convince journalists that he is legitimate.

The video opens in the slums of Eastleigh, a sprawling suburb of Nairobi in Kenya and home to ‘the fixer,’ a man who the UK’s Channel 4 claims has duped countless western journalists. But it’s a scam, one that has fooled the readers of many top media organizations including Time magazine. Watch the video above for the full details.

Somali pirates have kidnapped hundreds of people and cost millions in ransom payments. Jamal Osman finds journalists keen to interview them do not always get what they bargained for. Click this link to watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8BGOyBR7Fk&feature=player_embedded#t=0s

Source: gcaptain.com