Asia-Pacific

Seoul: Somali pirate could face death penalty

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-27 14:43

SEOUL - South Korean prosecutors on Friday demanded the death penalty for a Somali pirate accused of attempted murder in the country's first-ever piracy case.

Related readings:  S Korean court begins trial for 5 Somali pirates  Crew hijacked by Somali pirates

Arai Mahomed, 23, is charged with shooting the South Korean captain of the 11,500-ton freight Samho Jewelry, which he and four others hijacked in January in the Arabian Sea, and faces seven other offenses including robbery.

Three other pirates were sentenced to life imprisonment, while one of the five pirates declined to be publicly tried and will be separately sentenced on June 1.  

The pirates were captured alive in a Navy raid, which killed eight pirates and rescued all 21 crew members aboard the vessel.

The court verdict, which will not be bound by the jury verdict, is due later in the day.