20100907
africanews

Seven Somali pirates have been sentenced five years in jail in the east Africa nation of Kenya. Mombasa court jailed the pirates on charges for attempting to hijack a a German ship march in this year. The men were trying to seize a German Ship, MV Spessart upon the high seas and further causing fear among the crew of the ship.

The prosecutors had been told that the pirate men were armed with AK47 Rifles, Rocket propelled Grenades, skiffs and other weapons which they used to terrorize the crew.

The men were handed over to the Kenyan authorities for prosecution after being arrested at the high seas.

The pirates lawyer Jared Magolo argued that their continual stay will be more of a burden to the taxpayer since they have to be fed and clothed.

In 2006, Kenya sentenced the first Somali pirates to seven years in jail while early this year another seven were jailed for 20 years.

Kenya and Seychelles are the only African nations prosecuting pirates in the Horn of Africa nation.

The foreign warships patrolling the waters are now been outwitted by the pirates who now hijack ships far into the Indian Ocean.