Mogadishu, Somalia, 29 April 2008 - A court in Somalia's northern breakaway state of Puntland on Monday sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment for piracy, a senior government official told AFP.

"The High Court of Puntland sentenced 11 pirates to life in prison," Puntland state administration officer Bile Mohamud Qabowsade said.

"Seven of them were caught during a raid last week while the other four were detained for collaborating with the pirates," he said.

"The court found them guilty... of taking people hostage with the aim of obtaining a ransom," said Qabowsade, also an adviser to the Puntland president.

Most of the 11 had been detained during an operation by the Puntland security forces against pirates who had seized a boat from the United Arab Emirates and contracted by a Somali businessman.

At least one pirate was shot dead during the raid.

The 11 are serving their sentence in a jail in the town of Bosasso.

The tough sentences come as piracy in Somalia's waters has attracted renewed international attention following the capture of several foreign ships.

A Spanish trawler was released Saturday after being held for a week.

On April 11, pirates also released a French luxury cruise yacht and its 30-strong crew but the French military followed up the ransom with a raid and captured six suspected pirates who are now awaiting trial in France.

The coastal waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years and is plagued by insecurity, are considered to be among the most dangerous waterways for shipping in the world.

Last year more than 25 ships were seized by pirates in Somali coastal waters despite US navy patrols, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Source: AFP