A US federal grand jury has indicted¹ 13 suspected pirates from Somalia and one from Yemen over a boat hijacking² that left four Americans dead in February.

美国一个联邦大陪审团起诉13名索马里、1名也门海盗嫌疑犯，该团伙涉嫌在二月份劫持一艘轮船并导致四名美国人死亡。

Jean and Scott Adam were the owners of the yacht captured by pirates in February
The men face piracy³, kidnapping and firearms charges, the US Department of Justice said.

The couple who owned the boat and two guests were shot to death after pirates took them hostage off Oman.

The suspected pirates were captured by US naval⁴ forces sent to the scene of the hijacking.

The 13 suspected pirates were indicted on Thursday by a grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia.

Pirate attacks

The victims were Jean and Scott Adam, who owned the S/V Quest, and guests Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay.

They are the first US citizens killed in a wave of pirate attacks that have plagued（困扰，折磨） the Gulf⁵ of Aden and the Indian Ocean in recent years.

US naval forces were tracking their captured yacht（游艇，快艇） when the pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade（手榴弹） , according to the military.

Then gunfire was heard on board the yacht. Special forces boarded the vessel⁶ and found the Americans had been shot, the military says.

In the past year, at least six accused Somali pirates have been convicted in US courts.