Federal trial for Somali accused of piracy begins

Thursday, April 19, 2012

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) ' The attorney for a Somali man accused of piracy told jurors at trial Wednesday that his client never agreed to negotiate the release of four Americans killed aboard a sailing yacht and he was merely acting as a mediator aboard a hijacked German vessel where hostages were tortured by pirates.

Mohammad Saaili Shibin faces piracy, hostage-taking and several other federal charges for his role in the hijacking of a German merchant ship in 2010 as well as an American yacht off Africa in 2011.
Federal prosecutors contend Shibin was a key figure in Somali piracy, acting as a land-based negotiator who researched ships and hostages online after they had been captured to determine how large of a ransom to seek for them once they were brought to lawless Somalia.

Trial beings in Norfolk for Somali accused of piracy - AP
Somalia sets $500 bounty on al Qaeda-linked rebels - Reuters
Refugees 'inspired to study' through e-learning - Virtual College
Somali's Puntland state approves constitution - Africa Review
Woman convicted of terror to leave jail - Pioneer Press
Al-Shabaab militants behead Somali district commissioner - Africa Review
U.S. drone attacks surge in both Yemen and Somalia - allvoices
Somali teacher at home in Princeton - Princeton Union Eagle
Eritrean Government Denies Abduction of Gold Miners in Ethiopia - Bloomberg
Kenya can turn the Dadaab refugee camps into an asset - Guardian
Turkey mediating talks with Al-Shabaab to bring peace - MuslimVillage
Germany approves expansion of EU anti-piracy mission - AFP

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