U.S. Weighing Where to Charge Captured Pirate
- I wonder if any of the old “Hang Pirate” laws are still on the books. This discussion will certainly put the fear of retribution in the Pirates - Free food for life. -
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department was considering whether to prosecute a Somali pirate in Washington or New York, U.S. officials said following the rescue of a U.S. hostage and the apprehension of his only surviving captor.
The decision will determine where the pirate will be flown in what is shaping up as the first U.S. piracy case in recent memory.
Somali media were identifying the captured pirate as 16-year-old Mohamed Abdi, according to the Somali Justic Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
The other three pirates were killed Sunday in a military operation that rescued Capt. Richard Phillips, who had been held hostage aboard a lifeboat for days. A fourth pirate was in discussions with naval authorities about Phillips’ fate when the rescue took place.
Both piracy and hostage-taking carry life sentences under U.S. law.