Thaindian News

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA (BNO NEWS) — A tenth Somali pirate pled guilty in the United States on Thursday for his role in the hijacking of the American yacht the S/V Quest, which resulted in the deaths of four U.S. citizens.

Mahdi Jama Mohamed, who is believed to be around 23 to 24 years old, of Somalia, was the 10th Somali pirate to enter a guilty plea which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for October 3.

“Ten Somali pirates have now pled guilty to the armed hijacking of a U.S. vessel in February,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “The pirates’ greed for tens of thousands in ransom money ultimately led to the cold-blooded murder of the four U.S. hostages off the coast of East Africa. Modern-day pirates are dangerous criminals, not the swash-buckling rogues portrayed in Hollywood movies, and this latest guilty plea shows that attacks against American vessels will be met with swift justice in an American courtroom.”

According to court documents, Mohamed admitted he requested to join the pirates before the pirates left Somalia to look for a vessel to hijack. He also admitted to holding a rifle while aboard the Quest when he was on guard duty with the hostages. He warranted in his plea agreement that he did not personally shoot any of the four Americans, nor did they instruct any other person to shoot the hostages.

“Mohamed was a willing conspirator in the planned attack to hijack a vessel for ransom,” said Janice Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “The Quest unwittingly crossed the pirates’ path, but it was Mohamed’s own avaricious behavior that led to his involvement in this deadly plot. With this additional plea, the FBI reaffirms its commitment to investigating and prosecuting all acts of violence against Americans, whether domestic or abroad.”

Court documents associated with the 10 guilty pleas to date indicate that 19 Somalis willingly conspired to sail the high seas in search of a vessel to pirate and hold for ransom. The men anticipated receiving a percentage of whatever ransom they received, after paying approximately 35 percent to the operation’s financier.

After several days at sea, court documents state that the conspirators were approximately 900 miles (1448 kilometers) from Somalia and running low on fuel when they saw what they knew was an American vessel, the S/V Quest, and they decided to take it. The four hostages were held inside the steering house, being guarded by seven men holding firearms.

As the conspirators sailed back to Somalia, they were overtaken by a U.S. warship. Two men - Mohamud Salad Ali, who was, at the time, the leader of the pirates, and Muhidin Salad Omar, the driver of the skiff - boarded the warship to try to save things. The U.S. military told the men that they do not pay ransoms, but that if the hostages were released the military would allow the pirates to take the Quest back with them to Somalia. The conspirators, court documents state, did not want to release the hostages because they believed they would get little money for the boat itself.

While the military attempted to secure the release of the hostages, Ibrahim, who is now deceased but was in charge after Mohamud Salad Ali left the Quest, told the military that they were not going to stop and others on board the Quest began discussing massacring the hostages to get the U.S. boats to retreat. Ibrahim ordered Ali Abdi Mohamed to fire an RPG at the military warship as a warning shot. At this time, court documents state that the five men guarding the hostages began firing their weapons at the hostages, including three men in custody and two who are deceased. Ali Abdi Mohamed and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale stated in court documents that once the shootings began, they and others rushed the shooters and attempted to immobilize them.

Soon after, U.S. military personnel boarded the Quest and took 15 individuals into custody, including a juvenile who has not been charged in this case. Four men were deceased, as well as the four hostages.

According to the S/V Quest’s website, www.svquest.com, the two owners of the vessel were on an “around-the-world” trip that began in mid-December 2004. “This is planned to be an eight or ten year voyage,” the website’s homepage said, which identified the owners as Scott Underwood Adam and Jean Savage Adam. Phyllis Patricia Macay and Robert Campbell Riggle were the other victims.