Prosecutors on Monday demanded 12-year prison terms for two Somalis being tried on charges of boarding and attempting to hijack a Bahama-registered oil tanker operated by a Japanese company in the Indian Ocean in 2011.
This is the first case being prosecuted under the 2009 antipiracy law, which stipulates that those found guilty can be sentenced to between five years to life. The Tokyo District Court is expected to hand down its ruling Friday.
During Monday's session, prosecutors stressed that the acts allegedly committed by Mohamed Urgus Adeysey and Abdinur Hussein Ali, including shooting rifles multiple times and attempting to take the 24-member crew aboard the tanker hostage, constituted "dangerous and malicious" acts.