The
trial of three alleged Somali pirates charged with the 2011 murder of
four Americans aboard a yacht off the coast of East Africa is set to
begin, BBC reports.
Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and
Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar face the death penalty if convicted of murder,
kidnapping and other charges.
The owners of the S/V Quest and two others were taken hostage for ransom as they sailed around the world.
They were killed as rescue negotiations with the US Navy broke down.
The three are accused of maintaining an
armed guard over the Americans and intentionally shooting and killing
them “without provocation before the hostages could be rescued by
members of the military”.
Eleven other men have pleaded guilty to
piracy in the case and have been sentenced to life in prison. They are
expected to testify in federal court in Virginia against the three
charged with murder in exchange for the possibility of reduced
sentences.
Jury selection began on Tuesday in
Norfolk, Virginia, home to the US Navy’s Atlantic fleet. The trial is
expected to last five to six weeks.
The three accused Somalis followed the court proceedings with the help of two simultaneous interpreters.
About 100 people are on the list of
potential witnesses, including US military personnel, FBI agents,
forensic experts, relatives of the deceased and Somali nationals.
Jean and Scott Adam and their guests Bob
Riggle and Phyllis Macay were the first US citizens killed in a wave of
pirate attacks that plagued the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in
recent years
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