The man, still a suspect, was wounded in a clash with the Danish Navy. This is the first time that Denmark has brought a suspect in piracy into the country.
In Denmark it has been decided not to prosecute the three men suspected of piracy. The fourth man is still suspected and has been arrested in Denmark.
All four men were arrested in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa in November.
“The prosecutor has decided not to prosecute my client and he will be released soon,” says the lawyer Niels Anker Rasmussen, representing one of the men.
The men’s capture was preceded by a firefight with a Danish naval ship. The incidents began when the navy patrolling the sea tried to inspect the ship of the captured men.
Still the suspect’s fourth man was wounded in the clash. He was first taken to Ghana in West Africa to receive hospital treatment, from where he was taken to Denmark. The man is due to be judged by the court on Friday.
According to Danish prosecutors, the first shots were fired on the suspects in the piracy, which led to an attempt to accuse them of attacking Danish soldiers. The men have denied guilty of the suspects.
Four more people on board were killed in the shooting crash, and a fifth fell over the sea, according to Danish authorities.
At issue is the first time that Denmark has brought a suspect in piracy to its soil. The country does not have an extradition agreement with the countries on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea.
“Given Denmark’s international obligations and the medical condition of the suspected pirate, we concluded that there was no alternative but to bring him to Denmark,” says the Minister of Justice. Nick Häkkerup Ministry of Justice in the opinion.
According to lawyer Rasmussen, the decision not to prosecute his client may also be based on fears that it would be difficult for the man to return to his home country due to Danish law and international agreements after any prosecution.
In 2020, there were 195 attacks on cargo ships operating in the Gulf of Guinea. In the same year, 135 abductions at sea were reported, 130 of which took place in the Gulf of Guinea.
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