U.S. court sentences two more Somali pirates to life in prison

2011-12-16 06:53:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA (BNO NEWS) -- A U.S. federal court sentenced two more Somalis to life in prison on Thursday for their roles in a pirate attack on an American yacht earlier this year which resulted in the deaths of four U.S. citizens, prosecutors said.

The defendants, 32-year-old Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali and 20-year-old Jilani Abdiali, both of Somalia, were among 19 Somalis who, after several days of sailing the sea in search of a vessel to pirate and hold for ransom, attacked the 58-foot (17.6-meters) American yacht S/V Quest in February and held hostage its four passengers south of Oman.

The U.S military initially offered the pirates to take the vessel as long as they released the hostages unharmed, but the leaders of the group refused the deal because they believed they would get little money just for the boat. A rocket propelled grenade (RPG) was then fired at a U.S. military warship and the hostages were shot at in an attempt to get the U.S. boats to retreat.

When U.S. military personnel boarded the Quest, they took fifteen Somalis into custody, including a juvenile who has not been charged in this case. Four pirates were shot dead by the U.S. military, and the four American hostages were found deceased.

On Thursday, Ali and Abdiali were sentenced to life in prison at a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia. Ali, who was previously a police officer in Somalia, pled guilty on May 23 to piracy under the law of nations and hostage taking resulting in death. Abdiali, an electrician, pled guilty on May 20 to piracy under the law of nations.

"As Somali pirates expand their territory, they place more individuals' lives at risk," said Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "These men willingly joined this group of pirates out of greed, knowing full well that their actions could - and did - lead to the death of their hostages. They will spend their lives in prison for what they willingly chose to do and the lifetime of suffering and pain they thrust on the victims' loved ones.â€

Ali and Abdiali are among eleven men who have previously pled guilty for their involvement in the Quest hijacking and murders. Seven others were previously also sentenced to life in prison, and two other co-conspirators are to be sentenced on Friday.

The two owners of the vessel the Quest were on an "around-the-world" trip that began in mid-December 2004. "This is planned to be an eight or ten year voyage," the website of the couple, Scott Underwood Adam and Jean Savage Adam, said in February. Their friends Phyllis Patricia Macay and Robert Campbell Riggle were the other victims.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-16

Sad. Four people just wanting to sail around the world, but got caught in the wrong place by some dangerously desperate people.

Some justice has been done. The one(s) who actually shot the traveleres should get death. The others should get long sentences, and that's what appears to have taken place. The juvenile has been set free, so no one should be surprised if he becomes a head honcho pirate in a few years.