Oman court sentences Somalian pirates to life imprisonment

Muscat:  An Omani court has sentenced 12 Africans to life imprisonment for attempted piracy in Omani waters off Salalah in the south of the country.

The 12 tried to capture an Omani fishing vessel on May 31 but the fishermen from Mirbat alerted the Coast Guard in time to foil their attempt.

The owner of the boat was called up by the captain and he in turn informed the Mirbat Police Station about the incident in mid-sea.

The Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) also swung into action and intercepted the pirates, who were taken to the nearby Raysut Police Station, according to a report in Arabic daily Al Watan Saturday.

The pirates opened fire against the Coast Guard, forcing them to retreat. However, a RNO vessel rushed to the spot and intercepted the pirates and recaptured the fishing boat.

According to the police investigations, the pirates pretended that their boat was damaged and asked the Omani finishing boat for help. When the boat stopped, 10 armed pirates seized it. "They where planning to kidnap the crew and the boat in order to get a ransom from the owner," according to prosecution.

Mohammad Bin Ali Al Marzouki, Director of Public Prosecutions in Mattrah, was in charge of the investigations and disposition of the case in the court of appeal in Salalah.

The accused argued that they drifted towards Omani shores while fishing and wanted to return. They claimed that they had captured the Omani fishing vessel to use it to return to their base.

Al Marzouki disputed their defence and said that all 12 come from different parts of Somalia. "Fishermen generally come from the same town and do not carry sophisticated weapons," he said in his arguments in the court.

He also denied their defence that the Somalian pirates had drifted, pointing out to modern GPS navigation system found in their boats.

The accused, according to a prosecution report, carried sophistic weapons, including automatic machine guns. They were charged with the crime of capturing a boat to carry out terrorist activities and also of resisting Omani Public Authorities while carrying out their duties. They were also charged with kidnapping seven Omani fishermen by force and deception.

The prosecution demanded the maximum penalty - death sentence - but the judge awarded a life sentence to all 12, which is the first ever sentence in Oman given to pirates operating from foreign soil.