![]() ![]() America reacted to the yacht hijacking with a force only equalled in Michael Bey films.īut the sight of the USS Enterprise and three massive US warships 600 yards off apparently didn’t phase the 19 pirates crammed on to the 58 foot yacht. But the message sent by the US military and justice system didn’t even slow them down. They also knew very well that three of their kinfolk had been killed by US snipers just a few months earlier. The pirates knew that individual captives would bring between $500K and $1 million making the four hostages worth as much as an entire commercial vessel and crew five times the size. In reality the undefended yacht was just another easy target for sharp-eyed pirates. Thankfully US flagged ships are rare and pirates aren’t that picky but the timing was embarrassing to the US government. ![]() The taking of the yacht was actually spurred by the cruel sentence and the desire of the Somalia pirates to free their friends from captivity in the United States. On February 19th, only three days after Muse's much publicized sentence, the SV Quest, a yacht with four Americans loaded down with bibles was taken south of Oman. So with three clean head shots, the surviving pirate confessing, a stiff sentence handed down that should be it for any further attacks on U.S. At around $34,000 a year, this show of justice will cost the taxpayers at least a million dollars, not including the rescue, trial and incarceration. He might actually be lucky in being sentenced to spend 33 years and 9 months in a Terre Haute Indiana prison. Self professed pirate Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse enjoying his visit to the United States The diminutive 5' 2" Muse was both lucky having captured two other ships previously and unlucky, since he was the only surviving member of his pirate gang left alive after the violent outcome of Navy SEAL rescue operation. He had no idea how old he was - somewhere between 16 and 26 was his best guess and he spent much of his very public arrival in the US beaming like he had won the lottery. Muse didnt' seem like the sharpest pirate. That harsh sentence is similar to what child molesters, murders and con artists get in the United States, except that Muse pleaded guilty and there were no laws against piracy in his home country. The pirates demanded $3.5 million but their plans for a smooth ransom negotiation were sent into a violent spin by the arrival of a special operations team of American commandos. ![]() The problem is that for every Shibin that is taken out of the game there are dozens of eager replacements standing by.ĭeja vu? On February 16th, 2011 Galkayo-born, Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse was sentenced to 405 months in United States federal prison for his participation in the Aphijacking of the Maersk Alabama. Fedarcyk announced, "The stiff sentence handed down today sends a clear message to others who would interfere with American vessels or do harm to Americans on the high seas: Whatever seas you ply, you are not beyond the reach of American justice, and you will be held accountable for your actions." A recent United Nations Report identified five "important negotiators" of which Shibin was just one of five names listed.įBI Assistant Director in Charge Janice K. All that is really needed to be employed as a pirate negotiator is a mobile phone, a pocket of SIM cards, language skills, and a little entrepreneurial gravitas. He just happened to pick up the phone on the wrong kidnap. Despite what the US justice system would have you believe, Shibin was and is just one of many interlocutors hired to negotiate ransoms. Shibin was found guilty of piracy, kidnapping and hostage-taking in the February 2011 hijacking of the SV Quest and for the capture for the seizure of a German merchant ship in 2010 and given mandatory life in prison for piracy. He would board hijacked ships but most of his work was done over the phone. The convicted is a 56 year old, Qhardo-born, former unemployed NGO-turned-ransom negotiating ace, He is not actually a pirate in the classic sense but rather an land based interpreter who worked with a number of pirates, shipowners and security companies to negotiate ransoms and the release of ships and crew. shores to face charges," Mohammed Saalil Shibin's capture and conviction says more about the US understanding of piracy than its ability to shut it down via legal or military intimidation. Billed as "the highest-ranking pirate ever brought to U.S. The US government is strutting and crowing about another lifetime conviction for a pirate. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |