The mother of a young Somali pirate yesterday begged that her son be treated fairly by the American justice system — and again claimed he is just 16 years old.
EDITORIAL: PIRATES VS. LAWYERS
“I plead with American judges not to commit an injustice against [Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse] and hand down an unfair verdict on my son,” said Adar Abdirahman Hassan, Muse’s mother, from their home in a small town in Somalia.
A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday accepted claims by prosecutors that Muse is 18 — and thus can be tried on piracy charges, which would send him to prison for a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted.
Lawyers for Muse could relaunch efforts to have him ruled a juvenile, which might complicate the prosecution against him.