IN ASTONISHING BACK-TO-BACK CASES, FBI SPECIAL AGENTS REVEAL HOW THEY TRACKED DOWN A RUTHLESS SOMALI PIRATE KINGPIN AND TOOK DOWN A DANGEROUS EX-CON TURNED HITMAN, ON "FBI TRUE," WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17

"Hostages at Sea" and "The Hitman" -From the wild cross-continent manhunt to catch the mastermind behind a Somali pirate attack on a yacht that killed four Americans, to the undercover sting operation to take down a dangerous ex-con before he follows through on a plan to commit murder, FBI veteran Special Agent Cindy Coppola dives deep into these two astonishing cases with some of the key agents who lived through these heart-stopping moments, on FBI TRUE, Wednesday, Jan. 17 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*.

Full information on the back-to-back cases that comprise the full hour follows below.

"Hostages at Sea" (10:00-10:30 PM, ET/PT)

After a group of ruthless Somali pirates seizes the SY QUEST, a yacht with four Americans on board, in February 2011, the FBI and the U.S. Navy mount a joint operation on the high seas to save the hostages. When the incident suddenly turns deadly, the FBI works with its partners in Africa to identify and track down the pirates' lead negotiator. Recounting his experiences during a wild cross-continent manhunt for the mastermind behind the piracy plot, Rob D'Amico (a retired liaison to the FBI's Joint Operations Command who served in the U.S. Marines for 30 years) sits down with retired FBI veteran Special Agent Cindy Coppola.

"The Hitman" (10:30-11:00 PM, ET/PT)

When Joseph Burke, a violent former associate of notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, is scheduled to be released from prison, the FBI suspects he's intent on resuming his criminal activity. And sure enough, the Bureau's Boston office establishes through undercover work that the ex-con is actively seeking employment as a hitman, willing to serve the highest bidder. The FBI formulates a plan to catch the dangerous ex-con in an undercover sting operation before he plunges back into a life of violence and criminality. The FBI Boston office's undercover coordinator, Mike McGown, is chosen for the undercover job. McGowan (who participated in over 50 undercover operations and helped infiltrate the Mafia, drug cartels and biker gangs) recounts to FBI veteran Special Agent Cindy Coppola the amazing details of his last undercover mission before retiring.