11:58AM BST 11 Aug 2011
“Somali pirate ‘used mobile to surf web for US kidnap victim information’”
SNIPPET: “Mohammad Saaili Shibin, 50, was arrested by the FBI in Somalia after the four hostages were killed during negotiations with the US Navy in February.
He was transferred to the US where he is now facing trial for piracy and kidnapping along with 13 other Somalis and a Yemeni man.
US officials claim that Shibin was the most senior pirate in the operation and researched Jean and Scott Adam, the owners of the 58-foot yacht Quest, from land while his associates guarded them and their travelling companions Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay, on-board. The FBI reportedly has screen grabs taken from his internet searches for the value of the Quest and family contacts of the people kidnapped.
Mr Shibin then contacted the victims’ families and opened negotiations for their release in return for a ransom.
But five days into the incident and before the ransom demand was made, the pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the US warship negotiating with them then shot their hostages dead.”
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/norfolk/press-releases/2011/alleged-somali-hostage-negotiator-in-s-v-quest-piracy-indicted-for-piracy-of-m-v-marida-marguerite
Alleged Somali Hostage Negotiator in S/V Quest Piracy Indicted for Piracy of M/V Marida Marguerite
Twenty-Two Men Held Hostage for Seven Months as Alleged Negotiator Secured Ransom Paid for Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office
August 18, 2011
NORFOLK, VA—The man accused of being the negotiator for the ransom of four U.S. citizens held hostage on the high seas has been indicted for his alleged role in successfully extracting a ransom for a separate vessel and 22 hostages held by Somali pirates.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; and Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement.
“Mr. Shibin is alleged to be among the select few who are entrusted with one of the most important tasks in Somali piracy—ensuring a ship’s owners pay the maximum amount of ransom possible for the release of a hijacked vessel,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “The ransom paid for the Marida Marguerite capped a year where authorities estimate pirates received more than $100 million in ransom payments. The role he’s accused of fulfilling for pirates on the Marida Marguerite is the same role he allegedly intended to fill for the Quest. This case is aimed at the heart of the piracy business, striking at the small group of men who make receiving millions from piracy a reality.”
“During the seven-month ordeal, Mr. Shibin allegedly successfully negotiated a large ransom for the release of 22 crew aboard the Marida Marguerite,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk. “The negotiator has the most important job in the piracy business, extorting the most money possible for the ship and crew. As pirates operate during this period of instability in Somalia, the FBI will continue to apprehend all those involved, from Puntland villages to the Arabian Sea.”
Mohammad Saaili Shibin, aka “Khalif Ahmed Shibin,” aka “Shibin,” 50, of Somalia, was indicted on March 8, 2011, by a federal grand jury in Newport News, Va., in association with the alleged pirating of an American yacht, the S/V Quest, and taking hostage four U.S. citizens, who were ultimately killed before their release could be secured.
Today, Shibin was charged in a 15-count superseding indictment accusing him of serving as the ransom negotiator for conspirators who pirated the M/V Marida Marguerite, a German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010. According to the indictment, Shibin spoke with the owners of the Marida Marguerite and successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew. The indictment states that Shibin received approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in U.S. currency as his share of the ransom payment.
Shibin was also charged with additional counts related to the attack on the Quest. A full list of the charges included in the superseding indictment and their penalties are provided below:
Two counts of piracy under the law of nations, which each carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison.
Two counts of hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Two counts of violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a mandatory penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Three counts of use, carry and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, the first count of which carries a mandatory minimum 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, and the latter two counts of which carry mandatory consecutive life sentences.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s New York Field Office and Norfolk Field Office, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In addition, U.S. Attorney MacBride expressed his appreciation for the close coordination and cooperation of German judicial and police authorities in building the latest charges involving the Marida Marguerite.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph E. DePadilla, and Brian J. Samuels from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The public is reminded that an indictment only contains charges and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/norfolk/press-releases/2011/two-somali-pirates-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-attack-that-resulted-in-murder-of-four-u.s.-citizens
Two Somali Pirates Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attack that Resulted in Murder of Four U.S. Citizens
U.S. Attorney’s Office
August 22, 2011
NORFOLK, VA—Ali Abdi Mohamed, a/k/a Basher, 30, and Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf, a/k/a Burhan or Famah, 31, both of Somalia, were sentenced today in Norfolk federal court to life in prison for their roles in the pirate attack against the S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of four United States citizens.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Norfolk, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.
“Piracy is a scourge that threatens nations, commerce, and individual lives,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “This is the first case where American lives have been lost due to Somali piracy, and as Somali pirates expand their territory, the risk of violence and harm to others continues to grow. Today’s sentences send a message to all those who participate in piracy that armed attacks on the high seas carry lifelong consequences.”
“The pirates’ vain attempt to obtain ransom, after nine days at sea, ended in the death of four Americans. Today’s life sentences will be heard throughout the pirate community—and should send a clear message—that the days of unbridled armed robbery and extortion at sea are over. The only plunder these pirates earned is life behind bars,” said Assistant Director in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk.
Mohamed and Yusuf pled guilty to piracy, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Nine co-conspirators have also pled guilty and will be sentenced in the coming weeks. Three men—Ahmed Muse Salad, a/k/a “Afmagalo,” 25; Abukar Osman Beyle, 20; and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar, 29—have been charged in a 26-count superseding indictment with the kidnapping, hostage-taking and murder of the four U.S. citizens onboard the Quest; 22 of the 26 counts are death-eligible offenses.
Court documents associated with the guilty pleas to date indicate that Mohamed and Yusuf were among 19 Somalis who willingly conspired to sail the high seas in search of a vessel to pirate and hold for ransom. The men anticipated receiving a percentage of whatever ransom they received, after paying approximately 35 percent to the operation’s financier.
After several days at sea, court documents state that the conspirators were approximately 900 miles from Somalia and running low on fuel when they saw what they knew was an American vessel, the S/V Quest, and they decided to take it. The four hostages were held inside the steering house, being guarded by men holding firearms.
According to court documents, as the conspirators sailed back to Somalia, they were overtaken by U.S. warships. Two men—Mohamud Salad Ali, who was, at the time, the leader of the pirates, and Muhidin Salad Omar, the driver of the skiff—boarded the warship to talk with the military. The U.S. military told the men that they do not pay ransoms, but that if the hostages were released the military would allow the pirates to take the Quest back with them to Somalia. The conspirators, court documents state, did not want to release the hostages because they believed they would get little money for the boat itself.
While the military attempted to secure the release of the hostages, Ibrahim, who is deceased but was in charge after Mohamud Salad Ali left the Quest, told the military that they were not going to stop and others on board the Quest began discussing massacring the hostages to get the U.S. boats to retreat. Ibrahim ordered Ali Abdi Mohamed to fire an RPG at the military warship as a warning shot. At this time, court documents state that men guarding the hostages began firing their weapons at the hostages, including three men in custody. Ali Abdi Mohamed and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale stated in court documents that once the shootings began, they and others rushed the shooters and attempted to immobilize them.
Soon after, U.S. military personnel boarded the Quest and took 15 individuals into custody, including a juvenile who has not been charged in this case. Four men were not taken into custody because they were deceased.
On Aug. 18, 2011, Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a/k/a “Khalif Ahmed Shibin,” a/k/a “Shibin,” 50, of Somalia, was charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged role as a ransom negotiator in the attack on the Quest and a similar role in a separate attack on the M/V Marida Marguerite, a German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010. According to the indictment, Shibin spoke with the owners of the Marida Marguerite and successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew. The indictment states that Shibin received approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in U.S. currency as his share of the ransom payment.
The investigation of the case is being conducted by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
The prosecution in the Eastern District of Virginia is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph DePadilla and Brian J. Samuels, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Trial Attorney Paul Casey from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.