The 14 alleged pirates accused of hijacking a U.S. yacht off the coast of Somalia appeared in court today looking 'exhausted and confused'.
The men, 13 Somalis and one Yemeni, were indicted on piracy, kidnapping and firearms charges at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, near the Norfolk naval base.
Two U.S. couples were killed on board their own yacht last month after Somali pirates took them hostage off the coast of Oman.
Jean and Scott Adam, of California, and Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay, of Seattle, were shot five days after the Quest was hijacked.
If convicted, the men could face life in prison - and U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride has not yet ruled out filing further charges.
According to the indictment, by a grand federal jury, at least three of the men shot and killed the four U.S. sailors without provocation. It says they were armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades.
A reporter for Channel 3 News, who was in the courtroom, said all the men appeared exhausted and confused. One had his arm in a sling and others were walking with a limp.
She said some wore surgical masks as part of medical tests they are undergoing.
Mr MacBride said: 'This is a horrific crime, involving the armed hijacking of an American ship and the slaughter of American citizens.
'They seized the ship, armed with rocket-propelled grenades, and held them at gunpoint for four or five days, and without provocation executed them.
'The alleged pirates will now face justice in an American courtroom.'
The two couples were taken hostage on February 18, just days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.
The Adams, who were retired, sailed full-time on their 58-foot yacht to deliver Bibles around the world.
A friend said they did not carry a gun because it did not fit in with the religious nature of their trip. All they had to defend themselves was a flare gun.
They died along with their friends after a tense five-day stand-off came to a head when one of the pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the U.S.S Sterett, a U.S. Navy vessel sent to negotiate with them.
Just moments afterwards, gunfire broke out in the cabin of the pirated Quest, and U.S. special forces boarded the yacht. According to the military, all four hostages were found dead or dying.
U.S. Seals shot two bandits in the ensuing firefight and a further two were found dead on board.
Another 15 were taken into custody, but Mr MacBride today said the last suspect was not charged because he was only a child and was alleged to have had only limited involvement in the hijacking.
Somali pirates have blamed the deaths of the American hostages on the actions of the U.S. Navy, saying they felt under attack.
Piracy has plagued the shipping industry off East Africa for years, but the violence used during the attacks - and the money demanded in ransoms - have increased in recent months.
Pirates are currently holding some 30 ships and more than 660 hostages.
The four sailors who died in February are the first American hostages to have been killed by Somali pirates.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/news
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