Five Somali Pirates Convicted in Attack on Navy Ship

A group of five Somali pirates, who attacked a U.S. Navy ship in April this year, have been convicted. It is the first conviction for piracy on American soil in nearly 200 years. The men had attacked the USS Nicholas which they mistook for a merchant ship. They had been sailing the waters looking for a merchant vessel to plunder when they came upon the Navy ship. Ironically enough, the Navy ship had been on a mission to combat piracy in Somali waters at the time. The attack was a violent one, and the pirates were armed with assault weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. When two of the pirates on the skiffs opened fire on the main ship, the crew members of the USS Nicholas fired right back, and managed to chase and capture the pirates. Their skiffs were destroyed, and the men were arrested. Most of the pirates were in their 20s. The trial took place in Virginia. Prosecutors charged that the men had their sights set on a ransom of as much as $40,000. This is definitely a victory for maritime attorneys and others who have been campaigning for stronger measures against pirates. It's a victory for efforts to fight a legal battle against piracy, and it is even more encouraging coming as it does after a judge in Norfolk threw out piracy charges against another gang earlier this year. Image courtesy: Flickr – wit

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