Somali teen pirate 'brazen ringleader'

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-23 09:08

NEW YORK: Prosecutors say Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse was not shy about making his presence known on the Maersk Alabama, brazenly tearing through the ship in a way that belied his young age and skinny, 157-cms frame.

Abduhl Wali-i-Musi, accused of hijacking the Maersk Alabama and taking its captain Richard Philips hostage, is led into a federal building in New York April 20, 2009. [Agencies] more photos

He was the first to board the ship, he fired a shot at the captain, he helped steal $30,000 in cash from a safe, and he bragged about hijacking ships in the past, authorities said.

But the swagger, authorities say, the 18-year-old displayed on the ship had evaporated by the time he entered a federal courtroom on Tuesday to face a piracy charge that carries a mandatory life prison sentence. He is the first pirate charged in the US in more than a century.

When the judge asked him if he understood that court-appointed lawyers would represent him, the teenager responded through a translator: "I understand. I don't have any money."

His defense lawyers portrayed Muse as a frightened kid and not the violent pirate depicted by prosecutors. They believe he is 15 years old and should be given greater protections under international law because of his age and the circumstances of his situation.

"As you can tell, he's extremely young, injured and terrified," lawyer Deirdre von Dornum said.

Muse was charged with several counts, including piracy under the law of nations. The decision by the federal government to bring Muse to justice here has thrust the teenager into international spotlight and has raised legal questions about whether the US is going too far in trying to make an example of someone so young.

Muse's age was called into question by differing accounts, but the judge who heard arguments about the issue ruled on Tuesday that he can be tried as an adult. The government says he's 18.

The details of Muse's life are murky, with his parents in Somalia insisting he was tricked into getting involved in piracy.

"The last time I saw him, he was in his school uniform," the teen's mother, Adar Abdirahman Hassan, 40, said by telephone on Tuesday from her home in Galkayo. "He was brainwashed. People who are older than him outwitted him, people who are older than him duped him."

Omar Jamal, executive director of Somali Justice Advocacy Center in Minneapolis, said his Somali immigrant organization made contact with family members of the pirates during the hostage standoff.

Muse's family members "don't have any money. The father has some camels and cows and goats outside the city. ... The father goes outside with the livestock and comes home at night," Jamal said.

Muse's mother sells milk at a small market every day, saving around $6 every month for school fees for her oldest son.

Jamal said his organization was working to get a lawyer for Muse and to find if he has medical or mental problems.

"What we have is a confused teenager, overnight thrown into the highest level of the criminal justice system in the United States out of a country where there's no law at all," Jamal said.

EU pledges $77.5 million

The European Union pledged at least 60 million euros ($77.54 million) yesterday to support security forces in Somalia and African Union peacekeepers based in the conflict-ridden region.

While making the announcement, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the pirate attacks had been "a wake-up call to the international community" but a military response was not enough.

"Supporting Somalia's future security set-up is critical," he said in a statement, which said security would be established at sea only if there was stability on land.

"The only real and viable solution is to help Somalia from within: by pooling international efforts and supporting the new government to build security, peace and stability," Barroso said.

AP-Reuters