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Yemeni man pleads guilty in pirate hijacking that killed 4 Americans

By the CNN Wire Staff
Mounir Ali, 23, sought ransom but was not personally involved in the February killings, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
Mounir Ali, 23, sought ransom but was not personally involved in the February killings, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Man pleads guilty to piracy for role in hijacking that left 4 Americans dead
  • Mounir Ali accepted a plea deal by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis
  • He is the 11th person to plead guilty
RELATED TOPICS
  • Yemen
  • Somali Pirates
  • Pirates

(CNN) -- A Yemeni man pleaded guilty to acts of piracy on Thursday for his role in the hijacking of a yacht off the coast of east Africa that resulted in the deaths of four Americans.

Mounir Ali, 23, accepted a plea deal by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis, becoming the 11th person to plead guilty in the armed hijacking of the Quest in February, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Ali said that he and four other men from Yemen were crew members aboard a boat that was pirated by Somalis in February.

He "willingly elected to join them in return for a share of the ransom money," but did not personally shoot or instruct to shoot any of the four Americans, the statement said.

Americans Scott and Jean Adams, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle were found shot to death when U.S. forces boarded the yacht.

Sentencing for Ali is scheduled for October 21 at 11:30 a.m.