Navy seeks missing Maersk Alabama cash

WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Navy investigators are probing what happened to $30,000 that was involved in the rescue of a U.S. ship captain from Somali pirates, a source says.

Citing an unnamed Pentagon source, CNN reported Tuesday that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is questioning military personnel who took part in the April rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama, which had been hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The cargo ship's crew is also being questioned in the apparent theft, CNN said.

A criminal complaint reportedly says the pirates forced Phillips at one point during the siege to take $30,000 in cash from the ship's safe, which Abduwali Muse, the only surviving member of the pirate crew, allegedly distributed to his three co-hijackers.

After the three were killed and Muse captured, no money was listed by Navy SEALs among the items recovered from the incident, the U.S. broadcaster said.