Awwal 08, 1432, Feb 11, 2011, SPA -- Seven Somali nationals suspected of trying to hijack a chemical tanker were Friday charged in a Malaysian court with attempted armed robbery with the intention to cause death or harm, according to dpa. The seven pleaded not guilty before a magistrate court in the capital Kuala Lumpur. If convicted, they face a mandatory sentence of death by hanging. The suspects were part of a larger group of Somali nationals accused of involvement in the attempted hijacking of a Malaysian-owned chemical tanker on January 21 in the Gulf of Aden. They were captured by the Malaysian navy after a shoot-out on the high seas, and have been in police custody since January 31.
