Trial of Somali 'pirates' opens in Netherlands
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Your support makes all the difference.Europe's first trial of alleged Somali pirates opened at Rotterdam District Court yesterday with conflicting accounts from the five suspects, a notable lack of physical evidence and a shortage of witnesses.
The men, who face 12 years in prison, deny seeking to hijack a cargo ship registered in the Netherlands Antilles. Their boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate in the Gulf of Aden last year.
"If our children are hungry, who is responsible?" shouted one defendant, Sayid Ali Garaar, 39. The trial continues.
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