NORFOLK, VA—Mohammad Saaili Shibin,
a/k/a “Khalif Ahmed Shibin,” a/k/a “Shibin,” 50, of Somalia, was convicted
today by a federal jury in Norfolk for his involvement in the pirating of an
American yacht, the S/V Quest, and taking hostage four U.S. citizens who were
ultimately killed before their release could be secured and of the pirating of
the M/V Marida Marguerite.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge
of the FBI’s New York Field Office; and John Boles, Special Agent in Charge of
the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement. Shibin is scheduled to
be sentenced on August 13, 2012.
“Today’s verdict marks the conviction of
the highest-ranking Somali pirate ever brought to the United States,” said U.S.
Attorney MacBride. “Mr. Shibin was convicted as a part of a hijacking that
resulted in the summary execution of four Americans. He was among an elite
fraternity of pirate negotiators—the vital link to any successful pirate
attack. His skills were essential to obtain a ransom for those who attacked the
vessel and the financiers who paid for the attack.”
“Mr. Shibin’s actions resulted in the
cold blooded execution of four Americans aboard their own yacht, a form of
terrorism on the high seas,” said FBI ADIC Fedarcyk. “Today’s verdict should
send a clear message to pirate negotiators and financiers alike, no matter what
your role—in a pirate skiff or demanding ransom from the shores of Somalia—you
are not beyond the reach of American justice.”
Shibin was found guilty of all counts of
a superseding indictment which charged him with serving as the ransom
negotiator for conspirators who pirated the M/V Marida Marguerite, a
German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast
of Somalia from May to December 2010. According to court documents and
testimony, Shibin spoke with the owners of the Marida Marguerite and
successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew. Shibin
received approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in U.S. currency as his share of the
ransom payment.
Shibin was also found guilty of all
counts relating to the attack on the Quest. A full list of the charges and
their penalties are provided below:
■two counts of piracy under the law of
nations, which each carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison;
■two counts of conspiracy to commit
hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;
■two counts of hostage taking, which
each carry a penalty of up to life in prison;
■two counts of conspiracy to commit
violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a penalty of up to 20
years in prison;
■two counts of violence against maritime
navigation, which each carry a mandatory penalty of up to 20 years in prison;
■conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which
carries a maximum penalty of life in prison;
■kidnapping, which carries a maximum
penalty of life in prison;
■three counts of use, carry, and
discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, the first count of which
carries a mandatory minimum 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, and the
latter two counts of which carry mandatory consecutive life sentences.
This investigation was conducted by the
FBI’s New York Field Office and Norfolk Field Office, with assistance from the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In addition, U.S. Attorney MacBride
expressed his appreciation for the close coordination and cooperation of German
judicial and police authorities in building the latest charges involving the
Marida Marguerite.
The prosecution is being handled by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph E. DePadilla, and Brian J.
Samuels from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia
and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department’s
National Security Division.
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