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Somali Pirate Pleads Not Guilty
By
Jen Chung
Published May 21, 2009
Modified May 21, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 21, 2009
Modified May 21, 2009
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Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, the lone surviving pirate from the group that took an American container ship captain hostage in April, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in U.S. District Court this morning. The 10 counts in the indictment against him include piracy under the law of nations, conspiracy, hostage taking and kidnapping. Muse's age is in contention: Prosecutors say he is 19, based on statements from his father while his defense team says he's just 15. WCBS 2 spoke to one of Muse's lawyers, Phil Weiss, asking "what he saw when looked into his client's eyes." Weiss said, "A young scared kid in pain, I don't know whether he's a pirate or not. You asked me what I saw, that's what I saw." In related news, the captain that was held hostage, Richard Phillips, was honored as the Mariner of the Year at his alma mater, Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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