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Saturday February 12, 2011

Seven Somali pirates charged with firing on Malaysian troops

By NURBAITI HAMDAN
nurbaiti@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: Seven Somali pirates, including three 15-year-olds, were charged in a magistrate’s court here with shooting at the Malaysian Armed Forces, an offence that carries the death penalty.

The four adults – Ahmed Othman Jamal, 25, Abdil Eid Hasan, 20, Koore Mohamed Abdile, 18, and Abdi Hakim Mohd Abdi, 18, – were charged together with the juveniles.

Wearing orange lock-up clothes, the Somalis were brought into the courtroom handcuffed and the adults sat apart from the juveniles in the dock.



Close watch: The detained Somali pirates being escorted by police as they leave the court in Kuala Lumpur Friday. — Reuters

They appeared pensive and unfazed by the heavy media and police presence in the courtroom. They were accused of shooting, in the course of a planned robbery, at a Malaysian Armed Forces team with the intention of causing death or harm.

The offence was allegedly committed between 8.10pm and 10pm on the Bunga Laurel ship off Oman waters on Jan 20.

Although the offence carries the mandatory death sentence under the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, the penalty for the juveniles will be commuted to detention under the Criminal Procedure Code at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The charge was read to them in the Somali language by a Universiti Utara Malaysia student, fellow Somali Yaser Mohamad Ahmad, who was engaged as an interpreter by the prosecution to assist the court as the accused could not understand English or Malay.

No plea was recorded. The seven were not represented.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas submitted to the court a certificate signed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to enable the case to be tried in Malaysia as the offence was committed against Malaysian citizens on international waters.

Mohamad Abazafree also applied for the case to be transferred to the High Court as the magistrate court has no jurisdiction over the matter. Magistrate Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin then fixed March 15 for mention on the transfer and appointment of a new interpreter.

It was reported that the Bunga Laurel, a Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) tanker, was attacked by Somali pirates while on its way to Singapore.

The pirates’ attempt to hijack the tanker, which was carrying an estimated RM30mil in lubricating oil and ethylene dichloride, was foiled by the Royal Malaysian Navy after a shootout.

All 18 pirates surrendered and three were reportedly injured in the shooting. The 23 Filipino crew members on board the vessel were unharmed.