**Eleven suspected Somali pirates are set to appear in a US court Friday afternoon, officials say.**The group, captured by US Navy forces over the past month, face charges including piracy, attack to plunder a vessel, assault and use of a firearm.
Arriving in the court building in Virginia before their appearance, one suspect had a bandaged head and another was carried in by officials.
They have been kept on US ships off Somalia while the case was prepared.
Piracy trials
Five of them were captured by US Navy vessels on 31 March when they allegedly fired at the Navy ship from their boat.
Another six were arrested in waters near the small state of Djibouti on 10 April.
The US legal process comes after Kenya - Somalia’s neighbour - said it was planning to stop piracy trials, arguing that it was an international issue and they should not be left to bear the burden alone.
Pirates operating off the African coast have intensified attacks on shipping in recent years and have expanded their reach towards India, despite patrols by the US and other navies.
With piracy increasing, some have called for international courts to be set up to deal with the problem.
Last year, the US charged a Somali teenager with piracy after he allegedly tried to seize a US ship in the Indian ocean.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?d=dnMXMwOfBR0 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?i=LAKNZhFPcS4:GfZyRWOflKA:V_sGLiPBpWU
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/bbcnewsworldfullfeed/~4/LAKNZhFPcS4