A Somali Pirate Who Claims to be Fifteen Years Old: Should He be Charged Like a Man or a Child?

Somalia. Somalia is connected to Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Indian Ocean.

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On April eighth, Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse a young Somalian lead a mission to take over an American ship named the Maersk Alabama. He is now in the United States and is due to be charged as though he were a man. United States justice officials reported that they would charge Muse as a man, rightfully so, Muse has no birth certificate. If Muse should be tried as a man, he will go to jail instead of juvenile hall. Muses father claims that he is only fifteen years old and says that he was born on November 20, 1993 but there is no proof because there is no birth certificate so this date of birth can not be proven. New Yorks attorney general also says that his actions are much too extreme for someone only fifteen years old. It is thought that Muse will go to prison due to the fact that he is representing himself in court because of lack of money and the evidence compiled against him. So the question really is: Is this person really fifteen years old?