A German court sentenced a Somali pirate to 12 years in prison for leading the seizure of an oil tanker in 2010.
The state court in Osnabrueck on Thursday convicted the 44-year-old man of kidnapping and extortion in the hijacking of the German-operated Marida Marguerite off Somalia.
German privacy rules prohibit releasing names of most criminal defendants.
“The defendant was arrested last May at a center for asylum seekers in Germany,” the AP said.
The Marida Marguerite’s 22 crewmembers were tortured during the hijacking, the court said.
After seven months, a $5 million ransom payment was made.
The defendant was one of the last pirates to leave the ship, according to the court.
