Free Republic

NEW YORK – The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain arrived in New York on Monday, smiling for a gaggle of cameras and reporters as federal agents led him into custody to face charges in the attack. Abduhl Wali-i-Musi (AHB'-dul wahl-ih-MOO'-sih) was handcuffed and had a chain wrapped around his waist. His left hand was heavily bandaged from the wound he suffered during the skirmish on the ship two weeks ago. The smiling teenager seemed poised as he entered a federal building in a rainstorm, but he didn't say anything in response to reporters'...

A Somali teenager accused of being one of the pirates who held an American sea captain hostage has been flown from Africa to the US to face trial. Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse is the first person to be tried in the US on piracy charges in more than a century, the Associated Press news agency says. He was held over the seizure off Somalia of Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship. Earlier, his mother appealed to US President Barack Obama to free him. Adar Abdurahman Hassan told the BBC her son was innocent and just 16...

NEW YORK (AP) - The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain has arrived in New York to face charges in the attack. Abduhl Wali-i-Musi (AHB'-dul wahl-ih-MOO'-sih) was surrounded by about a dozen federal agents as he arrived in lower Manhattan late Monday. He was manacled with a chain wrapped around his waist, and his left hand was heavily bandaged from the skirmish on the ship.

The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of commercial ship captain Richard Phillips was being flown to New York late Monday, hours after his mother appealed to President Barack Obama for his release. U.S. officials said Abduhl Wali-i-Musi was due to appear in federal court in New York and could arrive in the city late Monday night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

...Really, what do you do with a captured pirate? Make him walk the plank? Is that even legal? Traditionally, English Admiralty law allowed for the summary execution of a captured pirate. Indeed, in medieval times, he could be hanged, drawn and quartered...Since last year, however, the Foreign Office has advised the Royal Navy not to detain pirates of some nationalities because, facing the death penalty at home, they could then claim asylum in Britain. The resurgence of piracy is hardly surprising when you consider the disparity between the average income of a Somali with a boat, and the vast amounts...