This just in: As reported by Federation Navy High Command in the last hour, the culprits of this morning’s coordinated strike upon Gallente assets in the Alperaute system have been identified as Salvador Sarpati, CEO and founder of the Serpentis organization, and several high-level commanders and operatives in his personal army.
Also confirmed was the capture of one Gallente Soltueur titan, the Molyneux, by the Serpentis forces. The Molyneux is the first Gallente titan in history ever to be seized by a hostile force. According to Navy pilots who survived the battle, the vessel sustained considerable damage in the attack and is believed to be operating at less than full capacity.
Eyewitness reports indicate the group is headed into the Syndicate region, possibly intending to make their way to their home base in the Fountain region. Federation Navy Joint Operations Command has approved a CONCORD-authorized bounty of 1.2 billion ISK for Salvador Sarpati, 500 million ISK for Tuvan Orth, his right-hand man, and 50 million ISK for other ranking officers in command of the Serpentis force.
Souro Foiritan, President of the Gallente Federation, in a statement at 15:00 this afternoon exhorted all capsuleer pilots loyal to the Federation to “rise up against the tide of villainy that threatens to destroy the very fabric of all we hold dear.” He furthermore stated that the Sarpati family had “made a war for itself that it couldn’t afford,” and that “the Federation will do everything in its power to get the Molyneux back.”
More news as we receive it.