Sailor lost for days alive on USS Shiloh
TOKYO — An American sailor whose disappearance at sea last week prompted a search by U.S. and Japanese ships of thousands of square miles of ocean was found alive onboard his ship Thursday, the U.S. Navy said.
The U.S. 7th Fleet said the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Peter Mims of Interlachen, Fla., were being investigated. It said Mims would be transferred to another ship for evaluation and follow-up care.
In a statement, the Navy did not comment on Mims’ condition nor say where he was found on his ship, the guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh. A separate news release said he was transferred to the USS Ronald Reagan for a medical evaluation and that his disappearance is under investigation.
What happens next with Mims will be driven by the investigation’s findings, Navy Cmdr. Bill Speaks said.
Mims disappeared June 8 when the ship was in Japan’s southern waters and was believed to have fallen into the sea. A search was suspended Sunday after more than 50 hours of effort by the U.S. and Japanese navies and Japan’s coast guard.
The Navy said a search onboard the Shiloh continued, and Mims was located Thursday. The Navy Times reported that Mims had been hiding in one of the engine rooms.
Attack slayings 31 at Somalia eatery
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamic extremists who attacked a popular Somalia restaurant killed 31 people — many at point-blank range — before they were slain by security forces, police said Thursday.
Survivors described scenes of people hiding under tables and behind curtains as the five gunmen hunted for victims in the darkened Pizza House restaurant. Nearly 40 people were wounded.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, which began Wednesday evening with a car bomb exploding at the gate to the restaurant and ended when troops secured the site after dawn, said senior police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.
Soldiers in gun-mounted vehicles surrounded the building, and troops later entered the ground floor as al-Shabab snipers defended their positions upstairs. The battle to end the rampage was hampered by darkness.
The bodies of five girls believed to have been killed by the extremists were found in the restaurant, police said.
Hazara leader slain
at Kabul mosque
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber struck outside a Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul late Thursday, killing four people, including a leader of Afghanistan’s ethnic Hazaras, Hajji Ramazan Hussainzada. Another five people were wounded, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
Najib Danish said there was gunfire outside the mosque as the suicide bomber tried to force his way inside, but he was stopped by a police officer, who died in the explosion. Another policeman was wounded.
The U.S.-based SITE, which tracks the online activity of extremist organizations, said the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its Aamaq news agency. The claim could not be verified independently.