NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A Somali man accused of acting as chief negotiator for pirates who took four Americans hostage and killed them in February has pleaded not guilty.
Mohammad Saaili Shibin pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a Virginia federal court to piracy, kidnapping and weapons charges in association with the hijacking of the yacht Quest several hundred miles south of Oman.
Federal prosecutors say Shibin is the highest-ranking pirate the U.S. has captured. He is the first suspected pirate to be captured by the U.S. in Somalia instead of at sea.
Court documents say Shibin has acknowledged getting a $30,000 payment for his negotiation services of the hijacked German vessel M/V Marida Marguerite. Prosecutors say the U.S. is in negotiations with the German government in that case and more charges could be forthcoming.
