A federal judge set a Jan. 31 trial date for a Somali man accused of being the chief negotiator during a piracy attack in the Arabian Sea that ended with the deaths of four Americans.
Mohammad Saaili Shibin pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court on Wednesday to piracy, kidnapping and weapons charges in the February hijacking of the yacht Quest.
The Quest's owners, Scott and Jean Adam of Los Angeles, and their friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot and killed by pirates as the Navy tried to negotiate their release, according to the government.
U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar arraigned Shibin on Wednesday and set the trial date. He certified the case as complex, which waives speedy-trial rules and gives both sides more time to prepare.
Federal prosecutors say Shibin is the highest-ranking pirate the United States has captured in efforts to crack down on a rash of hijackings off east Africa.
Court documents say Shibin, who remains in jail without bond, has acknowledged receiving a $30,000 payment for his role in negotiating the release of a hijacked German vessel, the M/V Marida Marguerite.
The trial of the 14 pirate suspects captured at sea in the Quest hijacking was previously set for Nov. 29.
In another ruling in the case, Doumar ordered the government to maintain possession of the Quest as evidence. The government had sought to return the yacht to the Adams' survivors.
Source: http://hamptonroads.com
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