Friday, February 11, 2011
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (UPI) -- Seven alleged Somali pirates were charged Friday in Malaysia with trying to commandeer a ship at sea using firearms, a crime that carries the death penalty.The group includes three teenage boys, FreeMalaysiaToday.com reported. Officials said they would almost certainly be spared execution if they are convicted under the Firearms Act of 1971.
The defendants were identified as Ahmed Othman Jamal, 25, Abdil Eid Hasan, 20, Koore Mohamed Abdile, 18, Abdi Hakim Mohd Abdi, 18, and the three teenagers, the Bernama news agency reported. They were captured in January in the Gulf of Oman after boarding a cargo vessel, the MT Bunga Laurel, which was retaken by Malaysian naval commandos.
Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail said in the charge sheet that the crime can be treated as if it occurred in Malaysia or its territorial waters.
The seven accused pirates did not enter a plea. Another court hearing was scheduled for mid-March.
Source: UPI