Six Somali Pirates Sentenced to Total of 1,222 Years for Kidnap Attempt

Madrid — Spain’s National Court has sentenced six Somali pirates to jail for attempting to kidnap the crew of a tuna-fishing boat, officials said.

The pirates, Adane Yusuf Ali, Abdi Ali Salad, Abdilahi Ise Jama, Yahye Omar Ali Hassan, Ali Mahammed Ali and Ali Mahamed Hirsi, have been imprisoned for a total of 1,222 years.

ThinkSPAIN said the defendants will likely only serve 40 years each. The pirates targeted the Izurdia in October 2012 while it was sailing in the Indian Ocean.

They attempted to board the boat and opened fire at the crew, thinkSPAIN reported. The security guards on board the tuna boat fired back at the pirates, who eventually fled the scene.

A Dutch NATO ship tracked down the pirates the next day, and the defendants surrendered and handed over their arms, thinkSPAIN said.