Long Stretch

A U.S. court has sentenced a Somali man to 25 years in prison for a pirate attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden.

A federal judge in Washington sentenced Jama Idle Ibrahim on Thursday. The 39-year-old pleaded guilty last year to charges of conspiring to commit piracy and using a firearm during a violent crime.

It is hoped the 25 year sentence handed down to Ibrahim may act as a deterrent to other pirates. Per Gullestrup, the chief executive of Clipper (whose vessel Ibrahim hijacked) has stated,

“We hope this sentencing will send a message that piracy will not be tolerated and that this action here today may become an example for other countries to follow.”