7 Somalis, 4 adults and 3 15-year-olds, face charges of shooting at Royal Malaysian Navy personnel last month.
4 of the 7 who were charged at the Magistrate's Court here today face a death sentence if found guilty of the offence under Section 3 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act.
The 7 are Ahmed Othman Jamal, 25, Abdil Eid Hasan, 20, 18-year-olds Koore Mohamed Abdile and Abdi Hakim Mohd Abdi, while the 3 15-year-olds are Hasan Yusuf Ahmed, Kasayah Dhalin Hussein and Mohd Abdi Ibrahim.
No plea was recorded from the orange jumpsuit-clad 7 when the charge was translated for them by a Somali student of Universiti Utara Malaysia as offences such as this one, where the accused face the death penalty, can only be tried by the High Court.
The 7 are charged with discharging a firearm in the commission or abetting of a scheduled offence, namely robbery in the direction of a Malaysian Armed Forces team with the intent to cause death or injury between 8.10pm and 10.00pm on Jan 20.
They are charged with committing the offence on the ship Bunga Laurel at 250 nautical miles off Omanian waters. The Malaysian-owned chemical tanker was Singapore-bound with a cargo of lubricating oil and ethylene dichloride worth an estimated RM30 million when it was attacked.
Magistrate Siti Shakirah Mohtaruddin set March 15 for mention and transfer to the High Court and to allow for a qualified Somali interpreter to be found.
Speaking to reporters after the charging, DPP Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abbas said that the 7 could be tried in Malaysia as a certificate under Section 127A(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code was issued by the attorney-general.
"The offence has been certified by the attorney-general to affect the security of Malaysia, as it was made against Malaysian citizens, i.e the Royal Malaysian Navy. That makes the offence triable here," added Abazafree, when asked about the chances of a successful prosecution.
"The fact that we charged them, I believe, shows that we have a good case," he said.
This is the 1st charging of Somalis for acts of piracy by an Asian nation.
Source: The Sun Daily, February 11, 2011
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