Results tagged “somalipirate”

The Maersk Alabama, the container ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in April, was attacked again today while 350 miles east of the Somali coast. CNN reports, "Pirates fired automatic weapons at the ship...Guards aboard the ship fired back, repelling the attack." In the April incident, the Maersk's captain gave himself to the pirates as a hostage and was rescued in dramatic fashion five days later when Navy snipers stepped in and killed three of the pirates.

Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, the lone surviving pirate from the group that took an American container ship captain hostage in April, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in U.S. District Court this morning. The 10 counts in the indictment against him include piracy under the law of nations, conspiracy, hostage taking and kidnapping. Muse's age is in contention: Prosecutors say he is 19, based on statements from his father while his defense team says he's just 15. WCBS 2 spoke to one of Muse's lawyers, Phil Weiss, asking "what he saw when looked into his client's eyes." Weiss said, "A young scared kid in pain, I don't know whether he's a pirate or not. You asked me what I saw, that's what I saw." In related news, the captain that was held hostage, Richard Phillips, was honored as the Mariner of the Year at his alma mater, Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

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.

Abduhl Wal-i-Musi, the lone pirate who surrendered to the U.S. Navy after holding an American container ship captain hostage, arrived in New York last night. The Daily News reports that he "look[ed] young, gaunt and clueless about the federal charges he faces"—he will be arraigned this morning in federal court. Wal-i-Musi was one of four pirates who tried to hijack the Maersk Alabama in the Horn of Africa. The ship's crew members were able to take back the ship, but the pirates, armed with machine guns, took Captain Richard Phillips as a hostage. Shortly Wal-i-Musi agreed to be taken to a Naval destroyer monitoring the pirates' boat, Navy Seals killed the remaining pirates and rescued Phillips.

U.S. Naval warships are gathering around a fiberglass lifeboat carrying four Somali pirates and their hostage, Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips, whose container ship they tried to hijack. A Somali journalist told CNN that a German ship taken by other pirates attempted to reach the lifeboat (to aid their fellow pirates) in the Indian Ocean but turned back due to the U.S. presence. Phillips, described as the "consummate regular guy" by friends and family, attempted to escape yesterday but was recaptured; a childhood friend told the NY Times, "When he went for that swim today, it didn’t surprise me at all. He’s got good intuition, and he’s a very determined guy." The FBI is involved with the hostage negotiations (Defense Secretary Gates said Phillips' return was a "top priority"), which may be a long process—he pirates have demanded $2 million and safe passage. Additionally, French commandos rescued hostages from pirates in the Gulf of Aden, leaving one hostage and two pirates dead in the process.

Yesterday, a group of Somali pirates seized control of the American container ship Maersk Alabama off the coast of Africa. Though the crew managed to regain control of the ship (hence today's Post cover), the NY Times reports, "the pirates were still holding the ship’s captain as they fled the ship in an unpowered lifeboat."