NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A Somali teenager accused of holding hostage a U.S. ship captain in the Indian Ocean after an attempted hijacking will be tried as an adult in New York on piracy charges, a U.S. judge ruled yesterday.
Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, the sole surviving accused pirate from the foiled bid to hijack huge U.S. container ship the Maersk Alabama earlier this month, was put in custody until his next court appearance on May 21.
Muse, who prosecutors said “conducted himself as the leader of the pirates,” is charged with piracy, conspiracy to seize a ship by force, conspiracy to commit hostage taking and related firearms offenses. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
The captain of the Maersk Alabama, Richard Phillips, was held hostage on a lifeboat for several days after he volunteered to go with the pirates in exchange for the crew. He was rescued when U.S. Navy snipers killed three pirates and captured Muse.
Muse appeared at a hearing in Manhattan federal court after being brought to New York by U.S. authorities late on Monday.
“An act of piracy against one nation is a crime against all nations,” acting U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin said in a statement. “Pirates target ships and cargo, but threaten international commerce and human life.”
Muse was first to board the ship, took the lead in issuing demands and said he had hijacked other ships, according to the complaint.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Deirdre von Dornum, one of Muse’s lawyers, said the legal team was investigating the possibility Muse may have been “kidnapped and taken hostage.”
She also said she was looking into whether the Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of war captives, applies in this case since Somalia is engaged in civil war.
