Government responds to defense motions in Virginia piracy trial of Somali defendants
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The U.S. government says Somali nationals accused of piracy in an alleged attack on a Navy ship can get a fair trial in the home of the largest U.S. naval base.
Federal prosecutors argued in electronic filings Tuesday against a defense bid to move the trial somewhere in the country other than Norfolk.
They also argued against motions to dismiss the piracy charges.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The case involves six defendants accused in the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's pirate-infested coast.
Five other Somali men are being prosecuted separately in Norfolk on charges related to a March 31 attack on the frigate USS Nicholas west of the Seychelles.