NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against three Somalis if they are convicted of murder in the deaths of four Americans who were shot aboard a hijacked yacht last year.
Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar also could face the death penalty on numerous other charges related to the hijacking.
A filing that says prosecutors would seek the death penalty was unsealed on Monday. The decision to seek the death penalty was made by U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
The owners of the yacht Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., along with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were the first Americans killed in a wave of pirate attacks off the coast of Africa.
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