1. Mohammad Shibin is referred to as the "alleged" pirate. Define alleged.
b) How confident do you think the FBI is that Shibin will be convicted?

2. What charges were brought against Mohammad Shibin?

3. a) What new approach is the U.S. State Department taking to combat piracy?
b) Do you think the State Department's new approach will have the desired effect of sending a strong message to the pirates (to deter them from attempting future attacks)? Explain your answer.

4. Why was the FBI able to send agents into Somalia to apprehend the pirate?

5. When pirates were caught during the 17th and 18th centuries, they were punished quickly. Many were executed by hanging.  Wall Street Journal readers made the following comments in response to the article:

One reader suggests executing captured pirates, saying:
"Tracking down and arresting someone, slapping on the cuffs, reading him his rights, spending tens of thousands of dollars for a trial and incarceration [is a waste] - compared to the cost of [executing him]."

Another suggests that the countries of the world work together to stop piracy, saying:
"Piracy and lawlessness in Somalia has gotten out of hand. The only way it will be stopped is if all the nations who are being affected work together to provide a united front. Right now everyone is using their own approach to fight the pirates by doing everything from arresting them, like the US, to escorting all ships that travel the coastline. If we could all organize, the navies of the world could easily stop the pirates."

A third says that going into Somalia to get the pirate was:
"a good step, but not sure if Somali pirates fear American prison. The life in a U.S. prison is probably much better than at large in Somalia."

Consider information about attacks by Somali pirates over the past few years from Background and Resources below.
a) What do you think of the U.S. government's approach to dealing with the pirates - are they taking the right approach?
b) Should pirates be given the privileges of American citizens to be tried in U.S. courts? Explain your answer.