The 11 Somali pirates brought to the United States are charged
(BRUSSELS2) The Attorney General of Virginia (USA) in Norfolk, Neil MacBride, indicated on April 23 that he intended to prosecute the 11 Somalis suspected of piracy and arrested in flagrante delicto in the Indian Ocean by two US Navy ships USS Nicholas and USS Ashland on March 31 and April 10, respectively.
The Somalis had made a small error of judgment... by attacking the two ships of the American naval force.
Decision had been taken to repatriate them to the United States (because they had attacked a military ship). The investigation was led by the FBI office in New York and Norfolk and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
The 11 men were charged with several counts (which does not yet mean that their guilt is recognized, the principle of the presumption of innocence): attack to plunder a ship; attack with dangerous weapon; conspiracy to use weapons in a violent crime; for which they face a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment depending on the charges.
NB: USS Nicholas is based in Norfolk and USS Ashland in Little Creek
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
