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Five Somali men jailed for piracy | Five Somali men jailed for piracy |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The five were convicted for seeking to hijack a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden | The five were convicted for seeking to hijack a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden |
A Dutch court has sentenced five Somali men to five years in prison for attacking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden last year, in the first such case to come to trial in Europe. | A Dutch court has sentenced five Somali men to five years in prison for attacking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden last year, in the first such case to come to trial in Europe. |
The men were convicted in Rotterdam of attacking a Dutch Antilles-flagged ship, the Samanyolu. | The men were convicted in Rotterdam of attacking a Dutch Antilles-flagged ship, the Samanyolu. |
They were arrested last year when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate. | |
Pirates attempted more than 200 attacks off the Somali coast in 2009. | Pirates attempted more than 200 attacks off the Somali coast in 2009. |
The trial is seen a landmark case in the fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean, which has prompted navies from many countries to join an international task force to protect sea lanes. | |
Pirates have in the past succeeded in collecting multi-million-dollar ransoms. | |
'Fishing trip' | 'Fishing trip' |
The five defendants were arrested in January last year after preparing to board the Samanyolu, which had a Turkish crew on board. | |
The five men pleaded not guilty at the opening of the trial last month, saying they had been on a fishing trip and they had approached the Samanyolu for help. | |
Prosecutors had requested five years in jail. | |
Presiding judge Klein Wolterink gave the defendants five-year sentences, saying he had taken account the difficult conditions in Somalia that led the men to piracy. | |
Nonetheless, he said they had been "only out for their own financial gain and didn't let themselves be troubled about damage or suffering caused to victims". | |
He added that piracy was "a serious crime that must be powerfully resisted". | |
One of the defendants told the court the decision was unfair. | |
"Netherlands don't like Muslim people," Sayid Ali Garaar, 39, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. | |
Other Somali piracy suspects are being held in France, Spain, Germany and the US. | |
Kenya, which holds more than 100 alleged pirates, has convicted 18 since 2007. |