Tenth Pirate Pleads Guilty in Fatal Attack on Local Couple's Yacht

A Somali man pleaded guilty Thursday in a federal court in Virginia to piracy charges in connection with the February seizure of a yacht off the coast of Africa that resulted in the murder of four Americans, including St. Monica Catholic Church parishioners and Del Rey Yacht Club members Jean and Scott Adam.

Fifteen people were arrested and brought to the United States to stand trial for hijacking the S/V Quest, a yacht owned by the Adams. The guilty plea Thursday by Mahdi Jama Mohamed, also known as "Mahdi," raises the number of guilty pleas to 10 in the case with all of the pirates who admitted their guilt facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

“Ten Somali pirates have now pled guilty to the armed hijacking of a U.S. vessel in February,” said Neil H. MacBride, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The pirates’ greed for tens of thousands in ransom money ultimately led to the cold-blooded murder of the four U.S. hostages off the coast of East Africa.  Modern-day pirates are dangerous criminals, not the swash-buckling rogues portrayed in Hollywood movies, and this latest guilty plea shows that attacks against American vessels will be met with swift justice in an American courtroom.”

Mohamed, whose age was estimated to be 23 to 24, was a willing conspirator who admitted requesting to join the pirates before they left Somalia looking for a vessel to hijack, according to court documents. Mohamed also admitting holding a rifle while guarding the hostages, but said in his plea agreement that he did not shoot any of the four Americans or instruct anyone else to shoot them. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 3.

Jean and Scott Adam were shot and killed Feb. 22 by pirates a few days after their yacht was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The couple had been on a multiyear sailing voyage aboard the S/V Quest, distributing Bibles around the world. A Seattle couple, Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle, who were onboard the Quest also were kidnapped and killed.

Court documents associated with the 10 guilty pleas show that 19 Somalis conspired to sail the high seas in search of a vessel to hijack and hold for ransom. The pirates expected to receive a percentage of whatever ransom they received, minus about 35 percent to the operation's financier.

The pirates were about 900 miles from Somalia and running low on fuel when they spotted the S/V Quest and decided to hijack it, according to court documents. The four hostages were held inside the steering house and guarded by seven armed men.

Court documents revealed that the pirates were overtaken by a U.S. Navy warship and two men – Mohamud Salad Ali, the leader of the pirates, and Muhidin Salad Omar, the driver of the skiff – boarded the warship to negotiate. The U.S. military told the men they would not pay ransoms, but told the pirates they could take the Quest back with them to Somalia, if they released the hostages. The conspirators did not want to release the hostages because they believed they would get little money for the yacht, according to court documents.

One of the pirates, a man named Ibrahim who is dead, took charge aboard the Quest and told the military they were not going to stop. He ordered Ali Abdi Mohamed, 30, also known as "Basher," to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at the U.S. Navy ship USS Sterett as a warning shot. At that time, five men guarding the hostages, including three who are in custody, began firing at the hostages. Ali Abdi Mohamed and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale, 22, said they rushed the shooters and tried to stop them.

U.S. military special forces boarded the ship soon after hearing the gunfire and took 15 people into custody, including a juvenile who has not been charged in the case. Two pirates who had already died were found on the 58-foot yacht and two were killed while the yacht was being cleared.

Mohammad Saaili Shibin, 50, of Somalia, who was allegedly responsible for negotiating the ransom of the hostages, was indicted March 8 by a federal grand jury in Virginia. When the U.S. military was attempting to negotiate with the pirates, they were told that Shibin was the person responsible for negotiating the return of the hostages after the Quest arrived in Somalia. Shibin allegedly went on the Internet to learn more about the hostages to help determine how much of a ransom to seek and to learn the identities of their relatives to contact them about a ransom, the indictment said. Shibin was not onboard the Quest during the hijacking and he was arrested in Somalia and brought to the United States for trial.

Prior to Mohamed’s guilty plea, the following co-conspirators pleaded guilty in the case:

• Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali, a/k/a Sanadaaq, 32, pled guilty on May 20, 2011, to piracy and hostage taking resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6, 2011.

• Mohamud Salad Ali, a/k/a Juguuf, 35, pled guilty on May 20, 2011, to piracy and hostage taking resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18, 2011.

• Ali Abdi Mohamed, a/k/a Basher, 30, pled guilty on May 20, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22, 2011.

• Jilani Abdiali, a/k/a Ilkasse, 20, pled guilty on May 23, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6, 2011.

• Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf, a/k/a Burhan or Famah, 31, pled guilty on May 23, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22, 2011.

• Said Abdi Fooley, a/k/a Sae Abdi Fooley or Said, 22, pled guilty on May 24, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9, 2011.

• Abdi Jama Aqid, a/k/a abdi Mahad Jama or Dabid, age estimated between 24 and 28, pled guilty on May 24, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9, 2011.

• Muhidin Salad Omar, a/k/a Muhiyaden Salad or Gurdan or Garan or Gurden or Muhdin or Dudan, 30, pled guilty on May 25, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3, 2011.

• Ahmed Sala Ali Burale, a/k/a Ahmed Sala Ali or Ahmed Hindi or Ahmed Salah Ali Burle, 22, pled guilty on May 25, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21, 2011.

Jean and Scott Adam departed for their worldwide voyage in 2004. A funeral service was held for them in March at St. Monica, where Jean used to sing in the church choir. The St. Monica Music Ministry in March also released a collection of music in their memory, with proceeds going to the Community Center Music Ministry Suite that will be built on the church's new campus.