BRUSSELS (AFP) -Two pirate attack skiffs destroyed northeast of Seychelles after being spotted by Swedish aircraft.

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Seychelles Coast Guard intercepted a group of suspected pirates and destroyed two attack skiffs, the European naval force in the region said Sunday.

A Seychelles coast guard patrol boat caught up with the suspected pirates on Saturday evening about 250 nautical miles northwest of the island nation after being led to them by a Swedish aircraft part of the EU NAVFOR force.

The suspected pirate boats consisted of a whaler used as a mother ship and two fast-attack skiffs.

"After confirming that they had pirate paraphernalia on board, nine suspected pirates were disarmed and their two attack skiffs were destroyed," EU NAVFOR said in a statement.

"The suspected pirates were then embarked in their mother ship ... and released," it added.

The suspected pirates were released because they were not stopped during an attack, an EU NAVFOR spokesman said.

A Swedish patrol aircraft had first detected the suspected pirates on Thursday about 500 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, but there had been no units in the area to check them.

Somali pirates have raked in millions of dollars in ransom money through hijackings in the Gulf of Aden.

More than 400 seamen are currently being held hostage, the highest number since a surge in Somali piracy in 2007.