NORFOLK, Va. – A federal judge in Norfolk has refused to vacate the life sentence of a Somali man convicted in a 2010 attack on a U.S. Navy vessel off the coast of Africa.
Suspected pirates skiff burns after being burnt near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland. Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operationsand Theater Security Cooperation Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo/Chief Petty Officer Harry J. Storms)
A judge in Norfolk issued a ruling Friday rejecting Mohamed Abdi Jama’s claims that his lawyer was ineffective.
Jama was sentenced to life in prison in 2016 for piracy.
He filed a motion last year claiming ineffective assistance of counsel.
Authorities say Jama and other Somalis approached the USS Ashland in the Gulf of Aden and opened fire with AK-47s.
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