Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) A Somali pirate responsible for negotiating the ransom of Indian seafarers and others has been sentenced in a US court to multiple life sentences for piracy and other crime.

A US embassy statement here Thursday identified the man as Mohammad Saaili Shibin, who negotiated the ransom to free Indian and other seafarers as well the sea vessels S/V Quest and M/V Marida Marguerite.

The sentencing took place in a US federal court Aug 13 after he was found guilty by a jury April 27. The Indian crew members testified they were brutally tortured while being held hostage by pirates.

The statement said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) worked with four Indian seafarers who testified that Shibin was the ransom negotiator for conspirators who pirated the M/V Marida Marguerite.

The German-owned vessel had a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010.

Shibin spoke with the owners of the M/V Marida Marguerite and successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew.

Shibin received about $30,000-50,000 as his share of the ransom payment, the statement said.

Evidence at the trial also showed that Shibin was the one who negotiated on behalf of the pirates during the hijacking of S/V Quest wherein four hostages were shot and killed.

Daniel C. Clegg, the FBI Legal Attache in New Delhi, said: “The global reach of crime-like Somali piracy is transforming the way law enforcement is required to operate in a hyper-connected world.

“Today, criminals try to hide behind national borders often believing they are beyond the reach of the law.

“Shibin’s arrest, swift trial and multiple life sentences put international criminals on notice that they will be held accountable for their crimes and cannot hide behind borders.”