Tag: SV Quest

For the murder of four Americans aboard SV Quest

Three more Somali pirates sentenced to life in prison for killing four US citizens of the SV Quest

Somalis on piracy trial face death penalty

US jails pirate who negotiated ransom

For SV Quest hijacking A 2013 trial date has been set for three Somali men charged with murdering four Americans aboard a yacht off the coast of Africa.Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar could face the death penalty if they're convicted.The Quest's owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., and friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death in 2011 after being taken hostage several hundred miles south of Oman. They were the first U.S. citizens killed in a wave of pirate attacks.Prosecutors said during a scheduling hearing in federal court in Virginia on Tuesday that the trial is expected to last five or six weeks. Jury selection begins June 3, 2013.Source: AP

Death penalty against three Somalis charged with murder in the fatal shooting Federal prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against three Somalis charged with murder in the fatal shooting of four Americans aboard a hijacked yacht last year, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday.Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar could also face the death penalty on numerous other charges related to the February, 2011 hijacking. They include hostage taking resulting in death, violence against maritime navigation resulting in death and kidnapping resulting in death. In total, 22 of the 26 counts are death-eligible offenses.The decision to seek the death penalty is made by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Prosecutors were required to tell the court if they planned to seek the death penalty before the Somalis' trial started. A status hearing to set a trial date is scheduled for May 22. Each of the men have pleaded not guilty.The court filing outlines the reasons behind the decision to seek the death penalty. Among them, prosecutors say the men killed or attempted to kill more than one person during a single episode. It also says their actions endangered the U.S. military and that ...

Regarding SV Quest case A Somali pirate, who acted as the primary negotiator duringkidnap-ransom negotiations, was convictedFriday by a federal jury in Norfolk, Virginia, for his involvement in the abductionof Americans onboard ayacht, the S/V Quest. He and his fellow pirates tookfour U.S. citizens hostage andultimately killed them before their release could be secured by U.S. special forces.Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a/k/a "Khalif Ahmed Shibin," a/k/a "Shibin,"was found guilty of all counts of a superseding indictment which charged him with serving as the ransom negotiator for conspirators. Shibin was also found guilty of all counts relating to the attack on the Quest. A full list of the charges and their penalties are provided below:* two counts of piracy under the law of nations, which each carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison;* two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;* two counts of hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;* two counts of conspiracy to commit violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison;* two counts of violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a ...

He is charged with piracy and a host of other charges for his role in SV Quest hijacking The trial of a Somali man U.S. authorities consider the highest-ranking pirate they have ever captured will begin this week in Virginia under a cloud of uncertainty about what the definition of piracy is.Mohammad Saaili Shibin is charged with piracy and a host of other charges for his role in the 2011 hijacking of an American yacht off the coast of Africa in which all four passengers on board were shot and killed.The owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., along with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were the first U.S. citizens killed in pirate attacks that have plagued the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean despite regular international patrols by warships. Negotiations with the U.S. Navy were under way when shots were fired aboard the yacht. The Navy had agreed to let the pirates take the yacht in exchange for the hostages, but court documents say the men didn't think they would get the amount of money they had sought from the exchange. Hostages are typically ransomed for millions of dollars.Shibin's case ...

Guilty to piracy of the S/V Quest vessel off the Somali coast Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali, a/k/a Sanadaaq, 32, and Jilani Abdiali, a/k/a Ilkasse, 20, both of Somalia, were sentenced in Norfolk federal court to life in prison for their acts of piracy against the S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of United States citizens Scott Underwood Adam, Jean Savage Adam, Phyllis Patricia Macay and Robert Campbell Riggle.Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office; Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Norfolk, made the announcement after the men were sentenced by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.Ali pled guilty to piracy under the law of nations and hostage taking resulting in death on May 23, 2011. Abdiali pled guilty to piracy under the law of nations on May 20, 2011."As Somali pirates expand their territory, they place more individuals' lives at risk," said U.S. Attorney MacBride. "These men willingly joined this group of pirates out of greed, knowing full well that ...

For hijacking the SV Quest A pair of Somali men are set to be sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the hijacking of a yacht that left all four Americans on board dead.Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali and Jilani Abdiali each have sentencing hearings Thursday in federal court. They are among 11 men who have pleaded guilty to piracy for the February hijacking of the yacht Quest. Three others who prosecutors said were the triggermen face murder charges, among others.The owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., along with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death after being taken hostage several hundred miles south of Oman.Source: AP