Prosecutors to indict Somali pirates on Friday

(ATTN: ADDS captain occasionally regaining consciousness in para 4)
BUSAN/SUWON Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean prosecutors said they will indict five Somali pirates on Friday on charges of hijacking a Korean freighter and shooting its captain, paving the way for an open trial to be held in this southern port city of Busan.
The Busan Prosecutors' Office has been investigating five Somali pirates captured alive during a Jan. 21 Navy Commando operation in the Arabian Sea. The operation killed eight other pirates and rescued all 21 of the ship's crew members, though a South Korean captain was shot several times during a gun battle.
The special investigation team said it has finished a probe into the bullets removed from the 58-year-old skipper, Seok Hae-kyun, and will file charges of maritime robbery as well as attempted murder for one pirate suspected of shooting Seok at point-blank range during the cross fire.
The hospital in the city of Suwon where Seok is recovering said this week that he has occasionally regained consciousness since last weekend, a hopeful sign that he is well on the path to recovery.
Under South Korean law, the pirates could be sentenced to at least five years in prison for hijacking the ship and life imprisonment or even death for firing at the captain from a close distance.
If the suspects apply for a civilian jury to hear their case, they may have a jury trial, according to court officials.
The team's chief investigator will brief reporters on the probe results on Friday afternoon.