Somali pirate to face charges in US
Surviving Somali pirate who held a US merchant ship captain hostage will face trial in New York
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Friday, 17, Apr 2009 12:24
The surviving Somali pirate who held a US merchant ship captain hostage will face trial in New York, a US official said yesterday.
The suspect, identified as Abduhl Wal-i-Musi, was allegedly involved in the attempt to seize the Maersk Alabama merchant ship off Somalia last week along with three companions. The three other men were killed by US navy snipers during a rescue operation to free the kidnapped US captain Richard Phillips.
Captain Phillips is now returning to the US from Kenya, after being held hostage for five days on a lifeboat launched from his cargo vessel.
There was some initial uncertainty over whether Mr Musi would be tried in Kenya or the US.
Officials eventually decided to send the suspect to New York partly because the Maersk Alabama is a US-flagged ship and Captain Phillips is an American citizen, although Kenya has an international agreement to prosecute pirates.
Mr Musi is thought to be aged between 17 and 19, but federal prosecutors must take a number of additional steps to justify charging him in federal court if he is under 18.
Although no charges have been publicly filed, the charges that could be held against the suspect carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.