Somali Teenager Is Indicted for Piracy in Cargo-Ship Seizure: By CHAD BRAY:
NEW YORK -- A Somali teenager has been indicted on piracy and other charges in the hostage taking of the captain of an American-flagged cargo ship in April.
Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse faces 10 counts, including piracy, seizing a ship by force and hostage taking. The piracy charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison.
A lawyer for Mr. Muse didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.
The American-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama was hijacked by a group of pirates off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean on April 8.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Muse was the first pirate to board the ship, and that he conducted himself as the leader of the group. The pirates later left the ship on a lifeboat and took its captain hostage, prosecutors said.
On April 12, Mr. Muse left the lifeboat and boarded the U.S.S. Bainbridge, a U.S. Navy missile destroyer that was by then shadowing the lifeboat, while the other pirates continued to hold hostage the captain, American Richard Phillips, prosecutors said. Mr. Muse demanded safe passage for the pirates and received medical attention. U.S. Navy snipers later killed the three remaining pirates on the lifeboat, freeing Capt. Phillips.
Mr. Muse was brought to the U.S. last month and charged.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
U.S. Navy Detains 17 Suspected Pirates: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The U.S. Navy said 17 suspected pirates have been apprehended after an attack on an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden.
The Navy said in a statement Thursday that Korean Destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great and the U.S. guided missile cruiser Gettysburg dispatched helicopters to aid Motor Vessel Amira after it came under attack.
A Gettysburg-based specialized boarding team also boarded the suspected pirate "mothership," a larger vessel which pirates use for logistical support.
The Navy said it brought the alleged pirates on board the Gettysburg for further questioning. Also confiscated were eight assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a rocket-propelled grenade.
The incident occurred Wednesday, about 75 miles south of Yemen's al-Mukalla port.
The Pirate Chronicles: For Somali Pirates, Worst Enemy May Be on Shore : by JEFFREY GETTLEMAN - Somalia's pirates are the targets not just of those they attack, but also of sheiks and elders who are fed up with their vices.
The Navy said in a statement Thursday that Korean Destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great and the U.S. guided missile cruiser Gettysburg dispatched helicopters to aid Motor Vessel Amira after it came under attack.
A Gettysburg-based specialized boarding team also boarded the suspected pirate "mothership," a larger vessel which pirates use for logistical support.
The Navy said it brought the alleged pirates on board the Gettysburg for further questioning. Also confiscated were eight assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a rocket-propelled grenade.
The incident occurred Wednesday, about 75 miles south of Yemen's al-Mukalla port.
The Pirate Chronicles: For Somali Pirates, Worst Enemy May Be on Shore : by JEFFREY GETTLEMAN - Somalia's pirates are the targets not just of those they attack, but also of sheiks and elders who are fed up with their vices.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Pirate attacks prompt a call to arm ships: by Rebecca Cole
Somali Pirates Seize German-Owned Ship: ASSOCIATED PRESS - NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Somali pirates hijacked a German cargo ship carrying 10 crew members in the Gulf of Aden, the latest seizure by high-seas bandits who are holding hundreds of merchant mariners hostage, officials said Wednesday.
The German-owned ship, the MV Victoria, was captured Tuesday afternoon 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Yemen, said Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet. He had no information on the condition of the 10 Romanian crew members aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship.
Koreas Unite in Piracy Rescue: SEOUL: A South Korean navy warship warned Somali pirates away from a North Korean freighter Monday by threatening to open fire, the South Korean military said.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the 4,500-ton-class warship sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the North Korean vessel after receiving a distress call that it was being chased by a pirate ship. The pirates gave up and fled after snipers on the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots.
The South Korean helicopter guided the North Korean ship to a safer area. The incident took place 23 miles south of the Yemeni port of Aden, according to South Korea. It was a rare instance of cooperation between the two Koreas. Relations have badly frayed since a conservative government in Seoul took power last year with a vow to get tough on the North over its nuclear program. Pyongyang has responded by cutting ties and halting key joint projects.
Pirates seize two European ships: Somali pirates hijacked a Greek and a Ukrainian ship, and a NATO warship briefly detained 19 pirates armed with explosives after foiling an attack on a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.Pirates said they were taking the Ukrainian ship, hijacked in the Indian Ocean with a cargo that includes United Nations' vehicles, to the Somali coastal town of Harardhere."We have hijacked a ship carrying industrial equipment including white cars with the U.N. logo; our friends are on board it," a pirate who said his name was Hussein told Reuters news agency by telephone from Harardhere.Gunmen also seized a Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MT Ariana, flying a Maltese flag with a 24-member Ukrainian crew, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program told Reuters.
NATO thwarts hijack off Somalia: Associated Press.
Somali Pirates Seize German-Owned Ship: ASSOCIATED PRESS - NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Somali pirates hijacked a German cargo ship carrying 10 crew members in the Gulf of Aden, the latest seizure by high-seas bandits who are holding hundreds of merchant mariners hostage, officials said Wednesday.
The German-owned ship, the MV Victoria, was captured Tuesday afternoon 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Yemen, said Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet. He had no information on the condition of the 10 Romanian crew members aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship.
Koreas Unite in Piracy Rescue: SEOUL: A South Korean navy warship warned Somali pirates away from a North Korean freighter Monday by threatening to open fire, the South Korean military said.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the 4,500-ton-class warship sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the North Korean vessel after receiving a distress call that it was being chased by a pirate ship. The pirates gave up and fled after snipers on the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots.
The South Korean helicopter guided the North Korean ship to a safer area. The incident took place 23 miles south of the Yemeni port of Aden, according to South Korea. It was a rare instance of cooperation between the two Koreas. Relations have badly frayed since a conservative government in Seoul took power last year with a vow to get tough on the North over its nuclear program. Pyongyang has responded by cutting ties and halting key joint projects.
Pirates seize two European ships: Somali pirates hijacked a Greek and a Ukrainian ship, and a NATO warship briefly detained 19 pirates armed with explosives after foiling an attack on a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.Pirates said they were taking the Ukrainian ship, hijacked in the Indian Ocean with a cargo that includes United Nations' vehicles, to the Somali coastal town of Harardhere."We have hijacked a ship carrying industrial equipment including white cars with the U.N. logo; our friends are on board it," a pirate who said his name was Hussein told Reuters news agency by telephone from Harardhere.Gunmen also seized a Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MT Ariana, flying a Maltese flag with a 24-member Ukrainian crew, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program told Reuters.
NATO thwarts hijack off Somalia: Associated Press.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Captain once held by pirates urges military protection, armed crews: by Rebecca Cole - The freed captain of a merchant ship attacked by pirates near Somalia last month called Thursday for military protection and armed crew members to thwart attacks in dangerous waters.Capt.
Richard Phillips, skipper of the Maersk Alabama, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that it was the "responsibility of the U.S. government" to protect any ship flying an American flag, through military escorts or onboard squads of highly trained security forces.
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