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Apr 16, 2009 7:27 pm US/Central
Source: Captured Somali Pirate Facing N.Y. Trial
1 Of 4 Pirates Who Hijacked U.S.-Flagged Cargo Ship, Abducted Captain
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
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An armed pirated sits on the Tanit, a French-owned boat seized by Somali pirates, on April 10, 2009.
ECPAD/AFP/Getty Images
The captured Somali pirate who held a U.S.-flagged cargo ship captain hostage will be brought to New York to face trial, a U.S. official told the Associated PressThursday.
The suspect, identified as Abduhl Wal-i-Musi, was taken aboard a U.S. Navy ship shortly before Navy SEAL snipers killed the three remaining pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips hostage on a lifeboat launched from his cargo vessel, the Maersk Alabama.
The official said it was not immediately clear when Wal-i-Musi will be brought to New York. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose information about an ongoing investigation.
Officials decided to send him to trial in New York in part because the FBI office there has a history of handling cases in Africa involving major crimes against Americans, such as the al-Qaida bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998.
Officials at the New York FBI office did not immediately comment.
The government had been weighing whether to bring the suspect to trial in the United States or hand him over to authorities in Kenya, which has an international agreement to prosecute pirates.
Since the hostage standoff on the high seas ended Sunday, U.S. authorities have been examining details of the case, particularly Wal-i-Musi's age.
Initially, he was thought to be between 16 years and 20 years of age, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates later said all four of the pirates involved were between ages 17 and 19.
If he is under 18, federal prosecutors must take a number of additional steps to justify charging him in federal court. Either way, he will most likely be charged as an adult.
Though no charges have been publicly filed yet, the suspect could face charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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