Belgium says it has piracy kingpin behind bars
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian authorities say they have arrested an alleged kingpin of modern-day piracy by luring him from Somalia on the promise of participating in a movie project on high-seas crime.
Instead of signing a contract as an expert adviser in the documentary project, Mohamed Abdi Hassan, aka Afwayne, was arrested at Brussels international airport over the weekend and immediately put behind bars.
Federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said Monday that Abdi Hassan was charged with the hijacking and kidnapping of the Belgian ship Pompei and its crew of nine in 2009 and participating in a criminal organization. An alleged accomplice was also arrested.
The United Nations has called Abdi Hassan "one of the most notorious and influential leaders" of a major Somali pirate organization.
