"Lock ‘Em Up: Judges Say Five Somali Pirates Need To Spend Life In Prison For Attacking US Navy Ship"

2015-08-17T14:37:23-04:00

From: Daily Caller

A federal appeals courted ruled Thursday that five Somali pirates who attacked a U.S. Navy ship definitely need to spend life behind bars, contradicting the decision of a lower court.

The case dates back to 2010, when seven men plotted take over a merchant ship and hold it for ransom. But the execution of their plan turned into an absolute disaster when they mistakenly thought the USS Ashland was a normal cargo vessel, The Associated Press reports.

As soon as the men started firing with AK-47s on the ship, sailors immediately shot back at the small skiff, immediately killing a pirate and causing the vessel to explode. The rest of the vessel-less men were rescued by Navy sailors.

One of the men decided to cooperate with federal prosecutors, but five did not, and so were subsequently convicted. The U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson handed down sentences ranging anywhere from 30 to 42.5 years for the crime of piracy. Three judges from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Jackson’s decision, telling him to impose life sentences on the five men as required by federal law.

“It is of no moment that no one aboard the USS Ashland was harmed before the defendants’ attack was thwarted,” Judge Robert King, one of the three judges on the panel, wrote. “The mandatory life sentence reflects a rational legislative judgment that piracy in international waters “is a crime deserving of one of the harshest of penalties.””

Before 1909, the penalty in the United States for piracy was death.

The case is not yet finished. Defendants could appeal to the full appeals court or to the Supreme Court. The pirates’ attorney, Geremy C. Kamens, has not yet come to a decision.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden is viewed as a major threat to international shipping routes, but piracy has dropped dramatically in the last several years. In 2011, 237 incidents were reported near Somalia. Just a year later, the number decreased to 75, and then in 2013, to 14.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/08/14/lock-em-up-judges-say-five-somali-pirates-need-to-spend-life-in-prison-for-attacking-us-navy-ship/#ixzz3j6BvC0GI

Lock ‘Em Up: Judges Say Five Somali Pirates Need To Spend Life In Prison For Attacking US Navy...

A federal appeals courted ruled Thursday that five Somali pirates who attacked a U.S. Navy ship definitely need to spend life behind bars, contradicting the decision of a lower court. The case date

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Aug 17 at 2015 2:39 PM

2015-08-17T14:39:26-04:00

Grat but what does life mean Somalia?

Response by PO2 Mark Saffell made Aug 17 at 2015 2:47 PM

2015-08-17T14:47:50-04:00

That sends a signal

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Aug 17 at 2015 2:48 PM

2015-08-17T14:48:58-04:00

I'm still wondering why they were captured. If you shoot at me and I am armed, lead will come back with a vengeance.

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Aug 17 at 2015 2:56 PM

2015-08-17T14:56:57-04:00

Whose prison are they going to spend life in (American Prison). Why are the taxpayers paying for these criminals from another country to spend life in prison. I like the law prior to 1909 - less costly!

Response by SN Greg Wright made Aug 17 at 2015 3:08 PM

2015-08-17T15:08:13-04:00

What kind of dumbass in a skiff attacks a GIANT Navy ship?!?!! They NEED to be locked up for life, if for no other reason than to protect the gene pool.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 4:05 PM

2015-08-17T16:05:21-04:00

Dumb does not equal life in prison.
You'd think the Mk-58s and .50 cals on the deck would be a clue that this is not a regular vessel. That and the color. Big number on the side. 400-odd Marines on board.
Dumbasses.

Personally I have always felt that sinking the vessel is an adequate response. Not exactly a lot of shipbuilding materials in Somalia, and in the spirit of the environment, fish gotta eat, too.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Aug 17 at 2015 4:59 PM

2015-08-17T16:59:00-04:00

I remember seeing a picture of their burned out skiff. Shooting at a Ship full of Pissed off Sailors and Marines is never a good idea but I'm not sure it warrants life in a US Prison. I'm a Fiscal Conservative and not real fond of paying to feed and house these schmucks forever. Send em Home. Maybe they can explain the errors of their ways to others.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 17 at 2015 5:03 PM

2015-08-17T17:03:28-04:00

Deep 6 them. Why pay XXX,000,000 to hold onto your convicted terrorists?

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Aug 17 at 2015 5:41 PM

2015-08-17T17:41:16-04:00

Life in prison is the right sentence - if the death penalty is not possible.

Response by SSG Robert Spina made Aug 17 at 2015 6:20 PM

2015-08-17T18:20:40-04:00

I AGREE LET THEM ROT

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 6:23 PM

2015-08-17T18:23:32-04:00

Obama will just send them to the next country that will take them why waste the time?

Response by Sgt Andrew McLaren made Aug 17 at 2015 7:13 PM

2015-08-17T19:13:21-04:00

I don't think you need to pass an I.Q test to be a Somali pirate. No mercy for these pieces of garbage shoot them

Response by PO1 Sojourner "Chancy" Phillips made Aug 17 at 2015 7:24 PM

2015-08-17T19:24:02-04:00

I guess they had not heard about what happened to their buddies in 2009 that tried to take the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 17 at 2015 7:37 PM

2015-08-17T19:37:05-04:00

Throw them back.....in the middle of the Atlantic.....problem solved.

Response by SCPO Penny Douphinett made Aug 18 at 2015 8:07 AM

2015-08-18T08:07:55-04:00

Hard one. Life sounds right but as a taxpayer I hate to think of the cost. Sending them back just lets 5 more people who hate Americans loose in the world. I don't think we would have to lie awake at night worrying about what they would do though.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 18 at 2015 8:11 AM

2015-08-18T08:11:52-04:00

I can think of better options but I'm ok with them bring locked up.

Response by PO3 Sherry Thornburg made Aug 18 at 2015 12:13 PM

2015-08-18T12:13:30-04:00

Life for stupidity. Pretty harsh, but they deserved it.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Aug 20 at 2015 5:11 AM

2015-08-20T05:11:22-04:00

What I find really hard to believe is that any lawyer would defend these "men."

Secondly, while I'm not too keen on them spending their lives in prison on the US taxpayer's dime, what's the alternative? Sending them back to Somalia where they will undoubtedly return to a life of piracy?

When I was on the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD52) for her 2010 WESTPAC, we were housing 60+ Somali "refugees" whose skiff sank. Our task was to find a country that would grant them amnesty as they did not want to return to Somalia, and we did not want to bring them back to the US. I could go on and on, but I honestly don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about!

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Nov 12 at 2015 6:36 PM

2015-11-12T18:36:16-05:00

They should have just been killed on the spot.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 19 at 2015 4:20 PM

2015-11-19T16:20:39-05:00

It looked like a merchant ship hahahahahahaha