Pirate kingpin trial begins

Afweyne refuses to appear in court on first day.

Trial against alleged Somali pirate kingpin begins

The trial of an alleged Somali pirate kingpin has begun in the Belgian city of Bruges. Following his spectacular arrest, Mohamed Abdi Hassan was charged with hijacking a Belgian ship and leading a criminal organization.

Known as “Afweyne,” or “Big Mouth,” and allegedly the most influential leader of a Somali pirate network, Mohamed Abdi Hassan was missing from the benches behind the defense as the trial against him opened at the criminal court in Bruges, Belgium.

“We have decided not to appear because the prosecution has added 2,500 pages to the dossier and we were only notified of this two days ago,” defense attorney Hans Rieder said. “But these new documents are very important because they challenge Mr. Hassan’s alibi.”

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Source: dw.com