A Somali suspect already charged with piracy has pleaded not guilty to new charges he led the capture of two other vessels in the Indian Ocean.
A federal indictment unsealed Tuesday in Manhattan charges Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse and others with boarding the two vessels and holding the crews at gunpoint last March and April. Authorities wouldn't identify the ships, but said one was still being held hostage.
Prosecutors say that shortly after those incidents, the men launched an attack on the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama.
An earlier indictment accused Muse of being the first pirate to board the boat several miles off the Somali coast. He and others held the captain hostage until Navy sharpshooters killed three
other suspects.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
