RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal grand jury in Virginia has returned new charges against 11 Somali nationals accused of separate pirate attacks on two Navy ships.
They include allegations the defendants had a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and assaulted federal officers.
The charges add another possible mandatory life term for the five defendants accused in the April 1 pirate attack upon the USS Nicholas off the coast of Africa.
The six defendants accused in the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland also face an additional charge of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison.
All 11 men have been held in the Norfolk area since late April on charges that include piracy, which carries a mandatory life term.
