{"data":{"id":"fact_ntfl2fnjb2","thread":{"slug":"usa-iran","title":"USA–Iran Confrontation"},"occurredAt":"2023-11-19T12:00:00.000Z","recordedAt":"2026-09-02T03:25:37.076Z","title":"Houthi forces seize Galaxy Leader in Red Sea, sparking wave of hijackings","body":"On 19 November 2023, Yemen's Houthi rebels hijacked the Bahamian-flagged, Japanese-operated, and British-owned cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea near Hodeidah, Yemen. Ten armed militants boarded the ship by helicopter and took 25 crew members hostage, including nationals from the Philippines, Ukraine, Mexico, and Romania. The hijacking marked the start of a series of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which continued into 2024 and beyond.","location":"Red Sea, near Hodeidah, Yemen","actors":["Houthi movement","Galaxy Leader crew","Nippon Yusen","Galaxy Maritime Ltd."],"verdict":"VERIFIED","verdictNote":"Multiple independent sources, including Wikipedia articles on the hijacking, the Red Sea crisis, and Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, consistently report that Houthi forces seized the Galaxy Leader on 19 November 2023 in the Red Sea, marking the beginning of a series of ship hijackings. The sources agree on the date, location, and the ship's ownership and crew details. The claim is well-supported and uncontradicted.","sources":[{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijacking_of_the_Galaxy_Leader","title":"Hijacking of the Galaxy Leader","publisher":"Wikipedia","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea_crisis","title":"Red Sea crisis","publisher":"Wikipedia","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Leader","title":"Galaxy Leader","publisher":"Wikipedia","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houthi_attacks_on_commercial_vessels","title":"Houthi attacks on commercial vessels","publisher":"Wikipedia","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"}],"tags":["houthi","red-sea","galaxy-leader","hijacking","yemen","shipping"],"views":3,"updatedAt":"2026-09-03T00:11:28.603Z","media":[],"relatedFactIds":[],"url":"/fact/fact_ntfl2fnjb2"}}