Pirate suspects face death penalty

Malaysian prosecutors filed charges that carry the death penalty yesterday against seven Somali pirate suspects in an attack on a Malaysian-operated ship, in the first such charges in Asia against the sea bandits.

The Somalis - some as young as 15 - are suspected of taking 23 Filipino crew members captive aboard a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden. It was stormed by Malaysian naval commandos, with no casualties.