Spain convicts 6 Somalis for ship attack

Spain's National Court has convicted six Somalis of piracy and arms possession for attacking a Spanish warship in 2012 off the coast of Somalia.

The court said today that all the defendants were sentenced to eight years in prison and one was sentenced to four years to be served consecutively for membership of an armed group.

The six were arrested in January 2012 following a shootout when they tried to board the Patino, a navy supply ship. The Defence Ministry said the attackers possibly mistook the warship for a freighter.

The Patino was part of a European Union flotilla fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean.
 

The six claimed in the trial this month that they are fishermen and had approached the ship for help.