SOMALIS SHOOTING CASE TRANSFERRED TO HIGH COURT

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- The magistrate's court here on Thursday
ordered that the case of seven Somali nationals charged with discharging their
firearms at Malaysian commandos in the Gulf of Aden, be transferred to the High
Court.

This followed the decision by magistrate Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin to allow
an application by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abas.

Ahmad Othman Jamal, 25, Abdil Eid Hasan, 20, Koore Mohamad Abdile, 18, Abdi
Hakim Mohd Abdi, 18, and three underage Somalis have been charged with shooting
at a Malaysian armed forces team on board the MT Bunga Laurel in their attempt
to rob the merchant vessel, with the intention to cause death or harm, about 250
nautical miles from the waters of Oman on Jan 20 this year.

The charge comes under Section 3 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act
1971 which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

All the accused, who were not represented, were first charged in the same
court on Feb 11.

On Jan 20, Royal Malaysian Navy commandos came to the aid of MT Bunga Laurel
under attack by Somali pirates armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols, in a rescue
operation codenamed "Fajar" conducted with the help of a Royal Malaysian Air
Force (RMAF) vessel, Bunga Mas 5.