Alleged Somali pirates indicted for attacks on US Navy ships

US federal grand juries in the Eastern District of Virginia have returned two separate indictments charging eleven men from Somalia with engaging in piracy and related offences pertaining to attacks on two Navy ships.  

The indictments charge separate attacks by separate groups on the USS 'Nicholas' and the USS 'Ashland'.

"Since the earliest days of this country, piracy has been a serious crime," said US Attorney, Neil MacBride. "Piracy threatens human lives and disrupts international commerce. When pirates attack US vessels by force, they must face severe consequences."

The two indictments were returned in late April and remained sealed until the defendants made their initial appearances before a magistrate in Norfolk.

According to the first six-count indictment returned on April 20, 2010, five men – Mohammed Modin Hasan, Gabul Abdullahi Ali, Abdi Wali Dire, Abdi Mohammed Gurewardher, and Abdi Mohammed Umar – left Somalia in search of a merchant ship to pirate.

They allegedly used two smaller vessels loaded with assault weapons and a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that served as attack boats, along with a larger ship full of supplies.

This indictment alleges that on March 31, 2010, Hasan, Ali, and Dire boarded one of these smaller vessels and set out to pirate and plunder what they believed to be a merchant ship. Ali and Dire each allegedly carried an assault weapon, and Hasan allegedly carried an RPG. The indictment charges that they opened fire on the ship, which they later discovered was the 'Nicholas'.

The remaining two individuals charged in the indictment – Gurewardher and Umar –remained onboard the large ship to maintain that ship during the alleged attack.

In a second five-count indictment, six men – Maxamad Cali Saciid, Mohammed Abdi Jama, Jaamac Ciidle, Abdicasiis Cabaase, Abdirasaq Abshir and Mahamed Farraah Hassan – were charged with piracy-related offences involving the USS 'Ashland' on or around April 10, 2010.

All eleven men were charged with piracy, which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison.