Alleged Pirate Kingpin Nabbed in Belgium
Caught up in sting involving fake documentary
BRUSSELS — An alleged pirate kingpin has been arrested in a Hollywood-style sting that lured him from Somalia to Belgium to work on a fake documentary about high-seas crime.
Yet instead of signing a film contract as an expert adviser, Mohamed Abdi Hassan was arrested at Brussels airport as soon as he landed Saturday and immediately jailed, Belgian authorities said Monday.
Federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said Abdi Hassan was charged with hijacking the Belgian dredger ship Pompei and kidnapping its crew of nine in 2009 and participating in a criminal organization. An alleged accomplice known as Tiiceey was also arrested.
