Four foreign sailors charged after death of two Navy SEALs off the coast of Somalia

Four foreign nationals are facing federal charges after the deaths of two Navy SEALs in the Arabian Sea. The Navy says Gage Ingram, who was from Trophy Club, and Chris Chambers died on January 11 while trying to board a boat that was transporting suspected Iranian weapons to Houthi rebels. Prosecutors said four men who were taken into custody on that boat have been transported to Virginia to face justice. The Navy said on January 11, U.S. forces tried to board a small boat called a dhow off the coast of Somalia, suspecting it of carrying weapons from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen. According to the Navy, during the boarding SEAL Chris Chambers slipped and fell into the water, and North Texan Gage Ingram dove in to try and save him. Both men were never found and later declared dead. A newly unsealed criminal complaint from the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia showed Muhammad Pahlawan, Mohammad Mazhar, Ghufran Ullah, and Izhar Muhammad are all charged with lying to investigators after their boat was boarded. Local The latest news from around North Texas. ALABAMA SUPREME COURT 6 HOURS AGO Texas fertility doctors monitor fallout from Alabama Supreme Court ruling MESQUITE 6 HOURS AGO Classes canceled at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy Friday following school shooting The documents said the crew identified Pahlawan as the boat’s captain, and he was also charged with illegally transporting explosive material on the ship. The complaint said in October, Houthi rebel forces began launching attacks against Israeli interests in an alleged effort to stop Israel’s military efforts against Hamas forces in Gaza. The documents said since then the Houthis have fired on multiple merchant ships and U.S. vessels, with the attacks being enabled by Iran. The criminal complaint said the boat that was seized on January 11 had set off from Iran days earlier, according to its captain. Hidden on board, investigators said they found Iranian-made conventional weaponry, including a warhead and parts for guided missiles. If convicted of lying to investigators, all four of the sailors charged could face up to five years in federal prison. The captain could face up to 20 years in federal prison if found guilty of the additional charge of transporting the warhead. NBC 5 reached out to Gage Ingram’s family for a response to the charges. We are waiting to hear back.