Stock Exchange.

This is coolbert:

Well, this one has to take the cake.

Thanks here to AtlasShrugs through AfricanCrisis.

The Somalia pirates, waging seaborne jihad [??] against western interlopers, have now gone public, opening a "stock exchange" to finance expeditions which can return a profit to investors. Ransom paid to the pirates can return dividends to those persons purchasing "shares" in the "adventure"!

"In Somalia's main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate."

"It is a lucrative business that has drawn financiers from the Somali diaspora and other nations -- and now the gangs in Haradheere have set up an exchange to manage their investments"

"'Four months ago, during the monsoon rains, we decided to set up this stock exchange. We started with 15 'maritime companies' and now we are hosting 72. Ten of them have so far been successful at hijacking,' Mohammed said."

"'The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials ... we've made piracy a community activity.'"

Shares, profits, dividends, investment, exchange, etc. All the trappings of western capitalism. But in this case for nefarious reasons. And financed to a degree by those in Somali "diaspora", what they call it. Somali refugees all over the world helping to support, aid and abet piratical raids!

I cannot say for sure, but the Barbary pirates of old were financed in a similar manner by the various deys, bashaws and local rulers of north Africa? NOT merely independent and isolated freebooters but syndicated, financed and directed predators. A portion of the "take" paid as a dividend to the "investors".

coolbert.