Cornering Thomas News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Cnn talks to a man held by pirates. he was freed in exchange for ran sh cash. but did that cash end up going to fund terrorists? kyung lah is out front. >> my chief officer was screaming we have to get to the engine room. they're on board. >> reporter: nigerian pirates armed and gunning for him. how many pirates? >> six. >> reporter: were they all armed? >> yes. >> reporter: what were they armed with? >> ak-47s. >> reporter: aboard his boat "the sea retriever" ferrying supplies to local oil operations. it was october 3rd of last year. thomas was running for his life. >> it was my chief officer...

Never stopped. they did not reply to cnn's requests for comment. on the fateful trip dock workers announced over a two-way radio where the ship was going, a major security breach. >> the pirates told me they knew where we was going. they knew my cargo. they knew my position. they knew what track i was taking. >> reporter: he was taken captive beginning 18 days of hell in the nigerian jungle and swamps for him and another crew member. barely any sleep, barely any food. a package of ramen noodles the day they were fed. did you think you were going to die? >> we knew we were going to die. every d...

Says the fbi told him the terrorist group boko haram profits from these kidnappings. the same boko haram which in april kidnapped nearly 300 nigerian girls and has unleashed devastating bomb attacks in the region. >> it makes me angry knowing that, yes, that my kidnapping helped somebody, the ransom helped somebody, knowing that this money's going somewhere bad. >> reporter: the fbi would not comment, but experts say while so maly pirates have been weakened, the number of piracy incidents off the coast of nigeria is only on the increase. >> essentially boko haram getting funding through piracy...