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Somali Terrorist Pleads Guilty To Hijacking Yacht, Killing LA Couple

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — A Somali man accused of hijacking of a yacht and killing a Marina Del Rey couple and two others has pleaded guilty to charges of piracy and hostage taking.

Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk, Va., on Friday.

He is among 15 suspects from Somalia and Yemen facing charges related to the February hijacking of the yacht Quest.

The owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, along with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle,
were shot to death after being taken hostage several hundred miles south of Oman.

Ali faces life in prison at sentencing, although that may be reduced as part of the plea agreement.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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