In Germany, an asylum seeker suspected of piracy
(B2) A Somali asylum seeker in Germany is suspected of an act of piracy. Arrested in Giessen during a routine check, the authorities confused him with his fingerprints, reports the DPA agency based on an article to appear in Monday's edition of the New Zeitung Osnabruecker. They would be identical to those taken from the Marida Merguerite, after his hijacking by hackers on May 8, 2010. According to prosecutor Alexander Retemeyer, the man partially confessed and could be charged with taking hostages for ransom and grievous bodily harm.
Hijacked on May 8, 2010, the Marida Merguerite and its 22 sailors had been held for 8 months by Somali pirates until a $5,5 million ransom was paid. The man is said to have been involved in securing food supplies and was paid with the ransom money. During the hijacking, the hostages were reportedly tortured, sometimes forced naked into the ship's freezer and other times nearly suffocated with plastic bags over their heads. Read also: Pirates: a new step in escalation has been taken
