The only surviving Somali pirate of the four who took Captain Richard Phillips hostage off the coast of Somalia may soon face charges for his actions.
The surviving pirate was ferried to a U.S. Navy ship Saturday night for medical treatment. He suffered a stab wound days earlier from his hijacking attempt. The other three pirates were killed by U.S. Navy snipers Sunday out of concern they would kill Phillips.
Dean Boyd, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice said the pirate is currently in custody and “the Justice Department continues to review the evidence in this matter to determine whether to prosecute this individual in the United States.”
Taking a hostage can earn a person life in prison.
Obama remained largely quiet in the first few days of the incident, declining to comment on it. During Monday’s White House press briefing, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs explained why.
According to Gibbs, Obama’s silence was for the protection of Phillips, as presidential acknowledgement of the situation could have made the pirates think more highly of their ransom.
“The protection and security of the captain was always the primary goal of any of his [Obama’s] decisions or any of his actions,” Gibbs said.
“The group that the president had assembled to work on these issues was not [in the spotlight], but was actively involved in looking at this and other issues,” he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke further about the incident Monday at the Marine Corps War College in Virginia.
He revealed that the pirates were 17 to 19 years old. He referred to them as “untrained teenagers with heavy weapons,” according to the American Forces Press Service.
Cases of piracy are increasing in the Gulf of Aden and they hold an estimated 260 hostages.
Gates said that solutions to the piracy issue will be looked at in the coming weeks.
“All I can tell you is I am confident we will be spending a lot of time in the situation room over the next few weeks trying to figure out what in the world to do about this problem,” he said.
Phillips was the captain of the Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food supplies bound for Africa. He was taken hostage on a lifeboat by Somali pirates armed with AK-47s and pistols. The incident took place off the coast of Somalia, beginning last Wednesday.
Three U.S. Navy ships arrived on scene.
The pirate’s life boat ran out of fuel and was being towed 90 feet behind the U.S. Navy USS Bainbridge while negotiations were attempted.
Saturday night, one of the Somali pirates was ferried to the Bainbridge for medical treatment. He had been stabbed days earlier during a scuffle with the Alabama’s other members as they re-took their ship—he was the only pirate who survived.
At an unknown time, U.S. Navy SEALS parachuted onto the Bainbridge and snipers took positions on the back of the ship, keeping close watch on the situation. President Barack Obama gave the authorization to use lethal force if it appeared Phillips’ life was in danger.
By Sunday tensions were rising. One of the pirates held an AK-47 to Phillips’ back. The other two had their heads and shoulders exposed.
Fearing they would kill Phillips, three U.S. Navy snipers fired simultaneously, killing all three pirates with shots to the head.
The surviving pirate was ferried to a U.S. Navy ship Saturday night for medical treatment. He suffered a stab wound days earlier from his hijacking attempt. The other three pirates were killed by U.S. Navy snipers Sunday out of concern they would kill Phillips.
Dean Boyd, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice said the pirate is currently in custody and “the Justice Department continues to review the evidence in this matter to determine whether to prosecute this individual in the United States.”
Taking a hostage can earn a person life in prison.
Obama remained largely quiet in the first few days of the incident, declining to comment on it. During Monday’s White House press briefing, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs explained why.
According to Gibbs, Obama’s silence was for the protection of Phillips, as presidential acknowledgement of the situation could have made the pirates think more highly of their ransom.
“The protection and security of the captain was always the primary goal of any of his [Obama’s] decisions or any of his actions,” Gibbs said.
“The group that the president had assembled to work on these issues was not [in the spotlight], but was actively involved in looking at this and other issues,” he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke further about the incident Monday at the Marine Corps War College in Virginia.
He revealed that the pirates were 17 to 19 years old. He referred to them as “untrained teenagers with heavy weapons,” according to the American Forces Press Service.
Cases of piracy are increasing in the Gulf of Aden and they hold an estimated 260 hostages.
Gates said that solutions to the piracy issue will be looked at in the coming weeks.
“All I can tell you is I am confident we will be spending a lot of time in the situation room over the next few weeks trying to figure out what in the world to do about this problem,” he said.
Phillips was the captain of the Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food supplies bound for Africa. He was taken hostage on a lifeboat by Somali pirates armed with AK-47s and pistols. The incident took place off the coast of Somalia, beginning last Wednesday.
Three U.S. Navy ships arrived on scene.
The pirate’s life boat ran out of fuel and was being towed 90 feet behind the U.S. Navy USS Bainbridge while negotiations were attempted.
Saturday night, one of the Somali pirates was ferried to the Bainbridge for medical treatment. He had been stabbed days earlier during a scuffle with the Alabama’s other members as they re-took their ship—he was the only pirate who survived.
At an unknown time, U.S. Navy SEALS parachuted onto the Bainbridge and snipers took positions on the back of the ship, keeping close watch on the situation. President Barack Obama gave the authorization to use lethal force if it appeared Phillips’ life was in danger.
By Sunday tensions were rising. One of the pirates held an AK-47 to Phillips’ back. The other two had their heads and shoulders exposed.
Fearing they would kill Phillips, three U.S. Navy snipers fired simultaneously, killing all three pirates with shots to the head.
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