Nine Somali piracy accused on trial in the Netherlands

Nine alleged Somali pirates went on trial in the Dutch port city Rotterdam charged with opening fire on Dutch marines trying to board a captured Iranian fishing boat in 2011. The men, aged 18 to 38, allegedly opened fire on Dutch marines based on the navy frigate Tromp patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden on April 2, 2011. Two Somalis were killed in the ensuing firefight. The marines then boarded the ship and arrested 16 Somalis and found 16 Iranian fishermen who had been held hostage on the boat for four months as well as automatic weapons and rocket launchers, according to the prosecution. Seven of the Somalis were released and the rest brought to the Netherlands for trial on charges of piracy and attempted murder. Court spokeswoman Michele Boonstra told French news agency AFP that trial hearings would take place over the next two weeks with a verdict expected after October 8. If convicted, the men could face life in prison.