U.S. prosecutors are reportedly seeking the death penalty against three Somali pirates charged with murdering four Americans aboard their sailing yacht, the S/V Quest, during February 2011 hijacking, according to the Associated Press.
The S/V Quest and her crew, owners Jean and Scott Adam of California and friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were captured by Somali pirates in February 2011 while sailing a few hundred miles off the coast of Oman. After three days of negotiations with U.S. forces, the pirates opened fire on the American crew, killing all four and leading to a raid of the vessel that ended with the capture of 15 pirates and four fatalities.
Court filings obtained by the AP say prosecutors are seeking the death penalty because the three men “killed or attempted to kill more than one person during a single episode,” their actions “endangered the U.S. military,” and that the Americans were killed “in an especially wanton and gratuitous manner.”
So far, eleven pirates have pleaded guilty to piracy and sentenced to life in prison, one was released as a juvenile, and another who is believed to be the lead negotiator was recently convicted of piracy and also faces life sentence, the AP reports.
By Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI, March 23 (Reuters) – The Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operations east of the Red Sea, where...
By Giulia Paravicini, Jonathan Saul and Abdiqani Hassan MOGADISHU, March 21 (Reuters) – As a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western...
By Krishn Kaushik NEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) – India will bring in and prosecute 35 Somali pirates its navy captured on a hijacked ship off Somalia, a navy official said, in a departure from its...
March 20, 2024
Total Views: 1953
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.