JUNEAU, Alaska – The grim headlines have rolled in from the high seas. A South African man, Ntando Sogoni, 35, has been indicted for a chilling assault on board a cruise ship en route to Alaska.
According to court documents, the night of May 6, 2024, Sogoni was discovered tampering with a lifeboat and taken to the ship’s medical area for evaluation. It was there that the situation turned deadly. During his medical examination, he allegedly attacked a nurse and a security guard before fleeing to another room.
The chaos ensued as Sogoni targeted a female U.S. citizen, stabbing her multiple times with trauma scissors in her chest, arms, and head. The injuries were severe. He didn’t stop there. Two security guards were also victims of his fury, one from the Philippines and the other from Nepal.
After the attacks, Sogoni was detained and placed in the ship’s jail until the vessel docked in Juneau on May 7. It was there he was charged by complaint and arrested by the FBI.
The federal grand jury has leveled serious charges against Sogoni: one count of assault with intent to murder, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The defendant made his initial court appearance on May 9 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for the attempted murder charge alone.
The investigation is ongoing, with the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) actively pursuing leads. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt is prosecuting this case. As always, Sogoni is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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