Court's Question: Is a Negotiator a Pirate?

Ali Mohamed Ali wasn't involved in the hijacking of a Danish ship, but the pirates in question called on him to help negotiate a $1.7 million ransom; they asked because he speaks English, his lawyers say. Now, he's facing a mandatory life sentence after US prosecutors charged him with piracy—but a judge in the case says the feds have gone too far. They got the US-educated Ali back onto American soil through a fake invitation to an education conference and arrested him on arrival, reports Courthouse News Service. He was then held for 30 months.

The case raises "serious due process concerns," says Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle, citing "government overreaching." At a pretrial hearing, a prosecutor told Ali that "no one thinks you're a pirate," the Los Angeles Times reports. Indeed, he may not be "a perfectly lovely guy, but it's a very, very odd and ambitious prosecution," says a legal expert. For their part, prosecutors point to a tough battle against piracy. "This case shows our resolve to prosecute pirates and those who profit from crimes on the high seas," says one. The trial is expected to last weeks. (More Ali Mohamed Ali stories.)