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![South Korean commandoes raid a ship held by Somali pirates. [ABC]](http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201101/r706843_5484286.jpg "South Korean commandoes raid a ship held by Somali pirates. [ABC]")
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South Korean commandoes raid a ship held by Somali pirates. [ABC]
A South Korean court has jailed a Somali pirate for life for trying to murder the captain of a hijacked ship, while three others were sentenced to between 13 and 15 years in prison.
Judges said it was " beyond any reasonable doubt" that Mahomed Araye, who was also found guilty of maritime robbery, shot and seriously injured Captain Seok Hae-Kyun with his AK rifle.
Prosecutors had sought the death sentence.
The five-day trial was the country's first attempt to punish foreign pirates, after South Korean navy commandos recaptured the South Korean-operated chemical carrier Samho Jewelry in a daring raid on January 21.
Aul Brallat, said to have fired at the commandos during an initial unsuccessful raid on January 18, was jailed for 15 years.
Abdikhad Iman Ali and Abdullah Ali were each sentenced to 13 years.
The court said there was no evidence the three colluded with Araye to try to kill the captain, but they had used crewmen as human shields among other offences.
The pirates, wearing olive-drab prison garb and earphones to hear translations, showed little emotion as the sentences were read out.
"This trial showed that any crimes infringing on the property or life of our people will be punished without fail according to our criminal code," court spokesman Jeon Ji-Hwan told reporters.
Eight pirates were killed in the raid, while five were arrested and flown to the southern city of Busan to stand trial.
One has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced next Wednesday.
All 21 crew - eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 from Burma - were freed unhurt apart from Captain Seok, who is still recovering in hospital after multiple operations.
As evidence against Araye, the judges cited statements from crew members that they heard a burst of gunfire in the cabin where he was holding Captain Seok.
The skipper was also hit by a bullet from the commandos.
But the court ruled that the bullet which gravely injured him came from Araye's rifle.
Defence lawyers said there was no direct evidence that Araye shot Seok and no one saw him firing.
They said no bullets recovered from Captain Seok's body matched those from Araye's rifle, although a fragment suggested the captain might have received a ricochet from Araye's shots.
They also denied the pirates had used the crew as human shields to try to thwart the rescue, saying the captors only intended to show that the hostages were alive and well.
The four are expected to appeal, lawyer Kwon Hyuk-Keun told AFP.
Piracy has surged in recent years off Somalia, a lawless, war-torn country that sits alongside one of the world's most important shipping routes.
Investigators say some of the pirates had taken part in the hijacking last year of a South Korean supertanker owned by the same firm as the Samho Jewelry.
The 300,000-tonne Samho Dream and its 24 crew were released after a reported $9 million ransom payment was made.
Captain Seok, who intentionally slowed down the hijacked ship as a South Korean destroyer pursued it, was widely praised for his courage, as were the commandos.
High-tech equipment helped ensure the raid's success.
When 15 commandos climbed aboard the freighter, military officials back home monitored their every move via a remote camera system installed on each fighter's helmet and gun.
The navy prevented the pirates from communicating with their mother ship by jamming the airwaves and radar, a media report said.
- AFP
Judges said it was " beyond any reasonable doubt" that Mahomed Araye, who was also found guilty of maritime robbery, shot and seriously injured Captain Seok Hae-Kyun with his AK rifle.
Prosecutors had sought the death sentence.
The five-day trial was the country's first attempt to punish foreign pirates, after South Korean navy commandos recaptured the South Korean-operated chemical carrier Samho Jewelry in a daring raid on January 21.
Aul Brallat, said to have fired at the commandos during an initial unsuccessful raid on January 18, was jailed for 15 years.
Abdikhad Iman Ali and Abdullah Ali were each sentenced to 13 years.
The court said there was no evidence the three colluded with Araye to try to kill the captain, but they had used crewmen as human shields among other offences.
The pirates, wearing olive-drab prison garb and earphones to hear translations, showed little emotion as the sentences were read out.
"This trial showed that any crimes infringing on the property or life of our people will be punished without fail according to our criminal code," court spokesman Jeon Ji-Hwan told reporters.
Eight pirates were killed in the raid, while five were arrested and flown to the southern city of Busan to stand trial.
One has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced next Wednesday.
All 21 crew - eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 from Burma - were freed unhurt apart from Captain Seok, who is still recovering in hospital after multiple operations.
As evidence against Araye, the judges cited statements from crew members that they heard a burst of gunfire in the cabin where he was holding Captain Seok.
The skipper was also hit by a bullet from the commandos.
But the court ruled that the bullet which gravely injured him came from Araye's rifle.
Defence lawyers said there was no direct evidence that Araye shot Seok and no one saw him firing.
They said no bullets recovered from Captain Seok's body matched those from Araye's rifle, although a fragment suggested the captain might have received a ricochet from Araye's shots.
They also denied the pirates had used the crew as human shields to try to thwart the rescue, saying the captors only intended to show that the hostages were alive and well.
The four are expected to appeal, lawyer Kwon Hyuk-Keun told AFP.
Piracy has surged in recent years off Somalia, a lawless, war-torn country that sits alongside one of the world's most important shipping routes.
Investigators say some of the pirates had taken part in the hijacking last year of a South Korean supertanker owned by the same firm as the Samho Jewelry.
The 300,000-tonne Samho Dream and its 24 crew were released after a reported $9 million ransom payment was made.
Captain Seok, who intentionally slowed down the hijacked ship as a South Korean destroyer pursued it, was widely praised for his courage, as were the commandos.
High-tech equipment helped ensure the raid's success.
When 15 commandos climbed aboard the freighter, military officials back home monitored their every move via a remote camera system installed on each fighter's helmet and gun.
The navy prevented the pirates from communicating with their mother ship by jamming the airwaves and radar, a media report said.
- AFP
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