A Dutch court sentenced nine Somalis to four-and-a-half years in prison on Friday for hijacking an Iranian ship in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden last year. "The suspects have been found guilty of piracy and sentenced to four-and-a-half years," the Rotterdam District Court said in a statement. The men had hijacked Iranian vessel "Feddah" and held the crew hostage for four months before Dutch marines noticed the ship and sought to get on board to inspect it on April 2 last year.
The pirates opened fire at the marines, forcing them to shoot back. Two pirates where killed in the shoot-out and 16 others were arrested in the incident. Seven of the sixteen men were released shortly afterwards while the others, aged between 18 to 38, were brought to the Netherlands to stand trial. The judges however rejected an attempted murder charge against the Somalis saying they could not determine who shot at the marines during the operation.