( CNN ) -- Five suspected pirates went on trial Tuesday in the Netherlands in what is thought to be the first trial in Europe of pirate suspects . The trial of the five Somali men opened in Rotterdam District Court and is expected to last five days , said Wim de Bruin , a spokesman for Netherlands National Prosecutor 's Office . The five were captured by the Dutch Navy in January 2009 in the Gulf of Aden , off Somalia , after a cargo ship with Dutch Antilles flag was attacked , de Bruin said . `` The ship of the pirates was destroyed by the Danish Navy , and the pirates were captured and handed to the Dutch authority . They 're being tried for sea robbery , and if convicted the maximum sentence will be 9 to 12 years , '' he said . The men are Ahmed Yusuf Farah , 25 , Jama Mohamed Samatar , 45 , Abdirisaq Abdulahi Hirsi , 33 , Sayid Ali Garaar , 39 , and Osman Musse Farah , 32 , he said . A different suspected Somali pirate is awaiting sentencing in the United States , where he pleaded guilty earlier this month to hijacking and kidnapping . Prosecutors say Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse led an attack on a U.S.-flagged vessel , the Maersk Alabama , off the coast of Africa last year . He pleaded guilty May 19 in a New York federal court to felony counts of hijacking maritime vessels , kidnapping and hostage taking , for his role in the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean on April 8 , 2009 . Muse faces a maximum sentence of almost 34 years behind bars when he is sentenced October 19 . The suspects being tried in the Netherlands spent four weeks aboard the Danish navy ship after their capture before being taken to the Netherlands , the spokesman said . They were held in pre-trial custody while the court interviewed witnesses from the Danish Navy and seamen on the Dutch Antilles cargo ship that was under attack , he said . Five Dutch defense lawyers are representing the suspects , he said . He did not know what plea , if any , the suspects had entered . Germany will soon try 10 suspected pirates who were captured in the Gulf of Aden earlier this year . They were arrested after their attempt to board a German cargo vessel , but the Danish Navy ended the hijacking and handed them over to the Dutch authorities , de Bruin said . They have since been held in the Netherlands , and Germany requested their extradition about two months ago . CNN 's Eileen Hsieh contributed to this report .
Trial of the five Somali men thought to be first of its kind in Europe . The five captured by Dutch Navy after attacking a cargo ship in Gulf of Aden . Score: 6 If convicted the maximum sentence will be 9 to 12 years .