Somali Pirates sentenced to prison
Published:Thursday | June 17, 2010 | 5:20 PM
A Dutch court has sentenced five Somali men to five years in prison for attacking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden last year, in the first such case to come to trial in Europe.
The men were convicted in Rotterdam of attacking a Dutch Antilles-flagged ship.
They were arrested last year when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish vessel.
BBC reports say pirates attempted more than 200 attacks off the Somali coast in 2009.
The trial is being seen a landmark case in the fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean, which has prompted navies from many countries to join an international task force to protect sea lanes.