S. Korean court issues arrest warrants for 5 Somali pirates

A local court on Sunday approved the arrest of five Somali pirates who were captured alive during a recent rescue operation on a South Korean freighter, court officials said.

The pirates are accused of hijacking the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 15 and firing at the ship's captain during a rescue operation by South Korean Navy commandos on Jan. 21. The 58-year-old captain, Seok Hae-kyun, was seriously wounded and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital south of Seoul.

The ship's other 20 crew members were rescued unscathed, while the remaining eight Somali pirates were killed.

The Busan District Court issued the warrants for the five pirates that South Korean police have asked for on charges of maritime robbery and attempted murder.

The five captive pirates were taken to a local court immediately after arriving in this southern port city at 4:18 a.m. Sunday on a royal jet belonging to the United Arab Emirates. They have so far denied almost all the allegations during questioning, court officials said.

One pirate was quoted as saying that he "boarded the Samho Jewelry after the others hijacked it" and that he had "nothing to do with the hijacking."

Another pirate blamed his employer, saying he got on the ship because he was told there would be work and subsequently got caught up in the incident.

Officials also said the pirates were blaming their dead colleagues for shooting the captain.

The questioning lasted one-and-a-half hours, ending at 9:27 a.m., and was carried out in Somalian, English and Korean.    

The pirates, who are between 19 and their mid-20s, entered the court dressed in the winter clothes of the Samho Jewelry's crew members and wearing sneakers provided by South Korea's Coast Guard.

They are the first pirates to stand trial in South Korea for hijacking a South Korean ship.

A local court on Sunday approved the arrest of five Somali pirates who were captured alive during a recent rescue operation on a South Korean freighter, court officials said.

The pirates are accused of hijacking the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 15 and firing at the ship's captain during a rescue operation by South Korean Navy commandos on Jan. 21. The 58-year-old captain, Seok Hae-kyun, was seriously wounded and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital south of Seoul.

The ship's other 20 crew members were rescued unscathed, while the remaining eight Somali pirates were killed.

The Busan District Court issued the warrants for the five pirates that South Korean police have asked for on charges of maritime robbery and attempted murder.

The five captive pirates were taken to a local court immediately after arriving in this southern port city at 4:18 a.m. Sunday on a royal jet belonging to the United Arab Emirates. They have so far denied almost all the allegations during questioning, court officials said.

One pirate was quoted as saying that he "boarded the Samho Jewelry after the others hijacked it" and that he had "nothing to do with the hijacking.

 Another pirate blamed his employer, saying he got on the ship because he was told there would be work and subsequently got caught up in the incident.

Officials also said the pirates were blaming their dead colleagues for shooting the captain.   

The questioning lasted one-and-a-half hours, ending at 9:27 a.m., and was carried out in Somalian, English and Korean.   

The pirates, who are between 19 and their mid-20s, entered the court dressed in the winter clothes of the Samho Jewelry's crew members and wearing sneakers provided by South Korea's Coast Guard.

They are the first pirates to stand trial in South Korea for hijacking a South Korean ship. (Yonhap News)