French navy freed a sailboat held by pirates off the Somali coast Friday in a raid. But one hostage was killed in the operation.

Defense Minister Herve Morin said that four hostages were rescued and two pirates were arrested.

The boat, a Norwegian-made sailboat, was hijacked when sailing towards the coast of Kenya.

"Negotiations were leading nowhere, and the boat was approaching the coast," Morin told a news conference, adding that the attack was launched following the order of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2009)