The Somali pirates had hijacking the hostages’ yacht off the coast of Oman earlier this year. Officials in Norfolk, Virginia announced the sentences Monday in the case of 30-year-old Ali Abdi Mohamed and 31-year-old Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf.The two Somalis had pled guilty to piracy, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Officials also say nine co-conspirators have also entered guilty pleas and will be sentenced in the coming weeks.
The four Americans were sailing along with an international yacht race, the Blue Water Rally, before heading off on their own. Organizers of the rally say the four were sailing toward Salallah in Oman when pirates seized their vessel.
The Americans were shot to death in February, days after they were taken hostage. This was the first time U.S. citizens had been killed by the pirate gangs operating off the Somali coast. The Americans were yacht owners Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Ray, California, and Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, Washington.
Source: http://www.latestcnnnews.com/us-court-two-somali-pirates-to-life-in-prison.html
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