High-seas drama at Somali piracy trial in Italy
Suspected pirates face up to 20 years in prison A high-seas drama with Kalashnikov and rocket-propelled grenade fire gripped a Rome courtroom at the trial of alleged Somali pirates Tuesday, as EU forces blasted a pirate base for the first time."We're alive by a miracle," said an emotional Stefano Mariotti, a crew member on board the Italian-flagged Montecristo cargo ship when it came under attack by pirate speedboats off the coast of Somalia on October 10, 2011.Mariotti and the 22 other crew members managed to avoid being taken hostage by the pirates by sealing themselves in a special area of the engine room and overriding the pirates' attempts to steer the ship towards Somalia."I sent an SOS signal from our satellite phone. When we saw them loading a second grenade, we ran to the citadel," said Mariotti, looking at the eight suspected pirates behind bars on the defendants' benches.The first grenade hit the Montecristo's chimneystack -- the second one detonated a few second later after the crew fled, blowing up the bridge.The crew remained locked for more than 24 hours with no contact with the outside world, as the pirates used explosives and crowbars to try to force their way ...
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