NORFOLK, VIRGINIA (BNO NEWS) – A Somali men pleaded guilty on Friday to acts of piracy against a United States Navy ship which he believed was a merchant vessel, prosecutors said.

Jamal Idle Ibrahim, aka "Jaamac Ciidle," was charged with conspiracy to commit piracy under the law of nations and conspiracy to use a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The charges stem from an alleged piracy act in the Gulf of Aden.

"Today marks the first conviction in Norfolk for acts of piracy in more than 150 years. Modern-day pirates must be held accountable and will face severe consequences. Ibrahim admitted his role in an armed attack on a U.S. Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden, which he attempted to take by force after mistaking it for a merchant vessel," said U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride.

On April 10, Ibrahim and five other Somali pirates were sailing in the Gulf of Aden looking for a merchant vessel to attack, seize and hold the crew and cargo for ransom. They saw a ship that they thought was a merchant vessel and chased it.

The supposed merchant vessel was in fact a U.S. Navy ship, the USS Ashland. The pirates fired against the Navy vessel in repeated occasions. The pirates intended to cause the vessel to surrender and then board it, seize it along with the crew and cargo.

Ibrahim faces a mandatory minimum sentence of the years of imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, as stated in the plea agreement. He will be sentenced on November 29.

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