Results tagged “abduwaliabdukhadirmuse”

The lone surviving Somali pirate who, along with three others, held an American container ship captain hostage, was indicted on ten counts (including piracy and kidnapping) in federal court yesterday. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, whose age is being debated by prosecutors (who believe he is 19) and his defense (who say he's 15), is accused of using a machine gun to threaten Captain Richard Phillips and "us[ing] a radio to communicate with representatives of the United States government and threaten[ing] to kill the captain unless his demands were satisfied." Prosecutors also say that Muse was the leader of the group, while his defense has previously suggested that Muse himself was "kidnapped and taken hostage." Muse will be arraigned tomorrow.

With Somali pirate Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse set to stand trial as an adult for the hijacking a U.S. container ship and holding its captain hostage for days, his mother is again begging for some sympathy for her son. Adar Abdirahman Hassan, who previously asked President Obama to pardon Muse—or at least that she be allowed to be with him during the trial—now says, "I plead with American judges not to commit an injustice against [Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse] and hand down an unfair verdict on my son."

Yesterday, a judge determined that the lone surviving Somali pirate could be charged as adult. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, who, along with three other pirates, held a U.S. container ship captain hostage, was charged with piracy under the law of nations, conspiracy to seize a ship by force, conspiracy to commit hostage-taking and use of firearms in those acts, according to the NY Times. Prosecutors say that Muse, in spite of his small 5'2" frame, was the ringleader who "was the first to board the ship" plus "he fired a shot at the captain, he helped steal $30,000 in cash from a safe, and he bragged about hijacking ships in the past," the AP reports.