Last two Somalis get time in attack

Somali man convicted of piracy stood ready to launch a rocket-propelled grenade

Last two Somalis get time in attack on Ashland

By Tim McGlone
The Virginian-Pilot

A federal prosecutor said a Somali man convicted of piracy stood ready to launch a rocket-propelled grenade at a Navy ship four years ago.

The man, Mohamed Abdi Jama, was sentenced Thursday to 41-1/2 years in federal prison for his role in the April 2010 pirating attempt on the dock landing ship Ashland. Another Somali, Abdicasiis Cabaase, was sentenced to 42-1/2 years in prison for his role in the attack.

They were the last two of five Somalis convicted and sentenced this week for trying to hijack the Ashland.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Hatch said Jama held an RPG that day, but that it was broken and incapable of firing. Still, the sailors didn’t know that. The captain may well have believed that the pirates were capable of blowing up the bridge, he said.

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Source: http://hamptonroads.com