Somali pirate due in New York court
The lone surviving pirate captured by US special forces in a high-seas drama off Somalia is due to appear in court on Tuesday in what is believed to be the first US piracy charges for more than a century.
Officials said Abdi Wali Muse, who arrived in the city late Monday, would appear at a New York court at around 15:00 pm (1900 GMT).
A smiling Muse was Monday led by federal agents past a bank of media cameras and into New York's Federal Plaza in a driving rainstorm after his arrival.
His left hand was heavily bandaged with white gauze, the result of an injury sustained aboard the Maersk Alabama when a US crewmember stabbed him during a struggle for control of the freighter after it was hijacked by four pirates including Muse.
The Maersk Alabama saga, which began when Somali pirates swarmed the US-flagged cargo ship on April 8, captured the world's attention and vividly highlighted the dangers posed by low-tech pirates in some of the world's most strategic shipping lanes.
The incident was highly unusual because the unarmed, all-American crew led by Captain Richard Phillips fought back and prevented the pirates from taking control of their vessel.
The pirates eventually fled the ship, taking Phillips hostage on a lifeboat.
Phillips and four pirates were then marooned in a lifeboat, shadowed all the time by US naval forces. The captain attempted to escape but was caught.
Muse had been detained on the Navy ship after surrendering when, on the fifth day of the ordeal, Navy SEAL snipers shot dead the three remaining pirates.
Phillips was rescued and returned home to Vermont on Friday to a hero's welcome.
One of the issues surrounding Muse's capture and the unusual decision to try him in the US courts is his age.
Reports out of New York said he was 19. But Voice of America reported that his father, Abdilkadir Muse, said his son was 16 years old, and had not been in previous trouble.
Legal officials in the United States would need to determine his age and whether he could be tried as an adult.
Muse faces charges in New York's Southern District Court, and if convicted could be jailed for life.
But the Post reported Tuesday that if Muse is indicted by a grand jury it would be the first major test in years of American anti-piracy laws, which date back to the 19th century.
"Trying pirates in the US for an attack on an American vessel makes more sense than any other scenario I can think of," piracy law expert Samuel Menefee told The Washington Post.
"If there are any problems with American law, certainly now is the time to find out so that we can bring our law on the subject into the 21st century."
The hijacking of the Maersk Alabama was an early test of the new administration of US President Barack Obama and has prompted calls for tightened measures to protect US ships in the busy shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa.
One US Senator Dianne Feinstein on Monday called for US-flagged vessels operating in pirate-cruised waters off Somalia's coast to carry armed security teams, and has written to Obama proposing the measure.
"I believe that any US-flag shipping vessel operating in the Gulf of Aden or the Straits of Malacca -- or in any other high piracy zone -- should be required to have armed security teams aboard," said Feinstein.
Muse's court appearance comes as other Somali pirates on Tuesday released an Asian chemical tanker they captured five months ago.
But they are still holding at least 17 other ships as high-seas attacks in 2009 soared to record levels.
