FBI should not be involved in this at all, this is a high seas deal, Navy all the way, they are run by the President of the US...nobody else should be involved.
They are not radical religious nuts, or the Capitain would be dead already....they want money period. The president should say nothing in public at all on this matter, direct the Navy to kill them all or capture them all, whichever happens first, and they could easlily do this no problem and we all know it.
You can't pay them...or you'll have to pay more after, you can't talk to them and negotiate, you must send the proper message fast and hard.
A team of our special Navy forces could overtake that drifting life raft in seconds right from under the boat...these guys can damn near shut down a country just dumping them off shore with nothing but a knife.....we all know the Navy has been told to stand down.
If this is not an example of inexperience, lack of guts, and lack of making a decision, what is? A president in these matters should not be worried about what anyone thinks or how anything looks or public opinion...you do what you got to do now. If the Navy looks weak...so does their leader. NOT GOOD!
My opinion...they vary.