Dutch court to rule in piracy case against 5 Somalis accused of attacking freight ship
By APThursday, June 17, 2010
Dutch court to rule in piracy trial of 5 Somalis
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — A Dutch court is to issue its verdict in the piracy case of five Somalis accused of attacking a freight ship in the Gulf of Aden, the first such case in a European court.
Prosecutors have asked for a seven-year sentence for the men, who allegedly tried to hijack an Antilles-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia in January 2009.
They deny wrongdoing, saying they were trying to ask the crew for food and fuel because their skiff’s engine had been malfunctioning.
The verdict is due Thursday.
The suspects were arrested by an international armada shepherding commercial ships through the pirate-infested waters near Somalia.
Other Somali piracy suspects are being held in France, Spain, Germany and the U.S.
Kenya has convicted 18 pirates since 2007. More than 100 await trial there.
