Tuesday, November 06, 2012
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The Dutch government says four men will be prosecuted for piracy after they were arrested following a firefight with marines off the coast of Somalia.
The ministry said Tuesday the four Somali suspects were flown into the Netherlands on Monday night. They were detained Oct. 25 after allegedly opening fire on Dutch marines who were attempting to check a fishing boat close to the Somali coast.
It is the latest case launched by Dutch prosecutors against Somalis detained during international naval patrols aimed at protecting merchant vessels against pirates operating out of lawless Somalia.
Last month, a court in Rotterdam convicted nine Somalis of piracy and sentenced them to four-and-a-half years imprisonment.