US sentences Somali pirate to 30 years in prison

WASHINGTON: A Somali man was sentenced to 30 years behind bars Monday after pleading guilty to his role in an April attack on a US Navy vessel off the coast of Africa.

Jama Idle Ibrahim was sentenced on three charges related to the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland amphibious dock landing ship: attacking to plunder a vessel, engaging in an act of violence against persons on a vessel and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

In August, a federal judge dismissed different piracy charges against Ibrahim and five other Somalis for attempting to attack and seize the USS Ashland, which they mistook for a merchant vessel.