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TWO SOMALI PIRATES have been sentenced to life in jail by a US court over their involvement in the hijacking of a yacht off the coast of Africa earlier this year, which resulted in the deaths of four US citizens.
The yacht, Quest, was owned by California couple Jean and Scott Adam, who were holidaying with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay, of Seattle. All four were shot dead several days after the vessel was hijacked off the coast of Oman by a 19-strong crew of pirates.
The pirates had planned to bring the yacht and kidnapped crew to Somalia, however they were interceded by US navy warships en route. The pirates were offered the boat in exchange for the hostages but they refused, saying that the hostages were more valuable.
According to the US navy, the pirates then launched a rocket grenade and began shooting the hostages, ABC News reports.
A total of 15 pirates were captured by the navy – the others died during the shoot-out – and were taken back to the US for trial. Two others have received life sentences, while three further men charged with murder could face the death penalty.
One of the men sentenced today, Muhidin Salad Omard, was one of the pirates who had boarded a US vessel in order to negotiate, the BCC reports. Prosecutors said that although Mohamed was not on board at the time of the hostages’ deaths “he must remain accountable for their murder as he willfully engaged in the piracy of the Quest”.
Prosecutors said that the other man sentenced today, Mahdi Jama Mohamed, had been cooking pasta on board the Quest when the shooting broke out. Speaking through an interpreter, Mohamed expressed “deep sorrow” about the deaths and said that he hoped the families of the victims could forgive him, the Washington Post reports.
“I’m just a poor guy trying to support his family,” said the former fisherman and tailor.
Hijacks and kidnapping have become much more common around the Gulf of Aden in recent years, and hostages are often exchanged for millions of dollars.
Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been torn apart by decades of civil war and famine.
is this the first time that there have been any consequences for the pirates? I can’t remember reading anything about any other stories…..
These pirates are not poor – they have been paid millions… there was a documentary on bbc about them and they all drove hugh 4x4s, guns etc…. they don’t care about any of the people on the boats, they just see $$$signs.
I don’t understand why the navies don’t unite to clean them off the sea?
I heard or read somewhere that the Navies are pretty much scared of these guys, even with their training and muscle and gun power. There must be a reason, what it may be, I’m not sure, I am much in the dark as much as everyone else is.
I don’t believe the pirates are fully to blame here. Shortly after the government collapsed in Somalia back in 1991, due to interference from the US & Ehtiopa, western countries started dumping toxic nuclear waste into the Somali seas, along with poaching any good fish that were left. This in turn lead to a collapse of the fishing industry there. People who had relied on this industry to feed their families were now left with no alternative other than to turn to piracy.
In some cases this toxic waste can be traced back to European hospitals and factories.
If this was the only option left to look after my family and save them from starvation would I turn to piracy? Of course i would.
One of the pirates Sugule Ali, said their motive was “to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters… We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits to be those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas.”
I don’t actually see anything wrong with what these pirates are doing, not when there is no other option available to them.
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