Somali pirate from Minnesota sentenced for holding US journalist hostage
(FOX 9) - A Somali pirate from Minnesota has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in holding an American journalist hostage for nearly three years.
What we know
In a press release on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Abdi Yusuf Hassan, of Minneapolis, and Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed, of Somalia, received a 30-year prison sentence for hostage taking, terrorism and firearm offenses related to the 977-day captivity of American freelance journalist Michael Scott Moore.
Officials said Hassan and Mohamed played "significant roles in Moore’s captivity" and abused their positions within the Somali government. Hassan served as the Minister of Interior Galmudug providence in Somalia, where he was responsible for police and security forces.
Meanwhile, Mohamed was a serving officer in the Somali army.
What happened?
In January 2012, Moore was taken from his vehicle while traveling in Somalia to research piracy and the economy. Officials say Moore was held in various locations during his time in captivity, including a hijacked ship with 28 other crew members from Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Taiwan. His captors would move him between safehouses, keep him under armed guard, and chain him at night to prevent escape.
The captors made several proof-of-life videos requesting large ransom payments, and Moore was eventually released in September 2014 after it was paid, according to the DOJ.
The press release says Hassan was directly involved in the ransom negotiations and directed the production of the videos. He also "served as an overall leader of the pirates" and used his home as a base of operations.
In February 2023, Hassan and Mohamed underwent a three-week trial, and a federal jury found them guilty.
What they’re saying
"For nearly three years, Michael Scott Moore was held hostage in Somalia by pirates. He was beaten, chained to the floor, and threatened with assault rifles and machine guns. Hassan and Mohamed were key players in that hostage-taking. Both abused their positions in Somalia’s government—Hassan, as a senior security official, and Mohamed as an army officer—by keeping a U.S. citizen captive to satisfy their own greed. Today’s sentences demonstrate our resolve to hold those who take Americans hostage accountable for their crimes," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.