Hostage Captain Freed By Navy Seals

U.S. forces killed three pirates Sunday and rescued cargo ship Capt. Richard Phillips, held hostage in a lifeboat since Wednesday, after seeing him in “imminent danger,” a senior defense official told CNN.

The official contradicted earlier reports that the captain jumped into the water off Somalia on Sunday.

Three of the pirates on the lifeboat with Phillips were shot and killed, the official said. A fourth pirate was aboard the nearby USS Bainbridge negotiating Phillips’ fate when the shootings occurred, he said.

Phillips was uninjured and in good condition after his rescue at 7:19 p.m. (12:19 p.m. ET), according to a senior U.S. official.

For more details visit CNN.com.