Teen Pirate Charged as Adult

The pirate saga comes to New York: A federal judge has ruled that alleged teen pirate Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse is old enough to stand trial as an adult in a New York court, where he’s facing charges of piracy and hostage-taking. Muse’s father, testifying by phone from Somalia, said his son is 16 years old, but he became confused under further questioning. Muse, who was photographed Monday night smiling as he arrived in the city, has since admitted he’s 18. The teenager, injured during the attempted hijacking of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama and taken aboard the Bainbridge, the Navy ship sent to rescue the U.S. sailors, was aboard the Bainbridge when Navy snipers killed his three accomplices, who held Captain Richard Phillips hostage in a lifeboat. Muse’s lawyers say he’s an innocent country fisherman who was forced into piracy and had never seen a camera before yesterday.