Somali Men Get 30 Years in Prison for Holding US Journalist Captive

The Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington on March 25, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A federal judge sentenced two Somali men to 30 years in prison on Tuesday for holding an American journalist captive in Somalia for nearly three years, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Abdi Yusuf Hassan, 56, of Minnesota, and Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed, 43, of Somalia, were sentenced for hostage-taking, terrorism, and firearm offenses in connection with the 2012 kidnapping of Michael Scott Moore. They were convicted by a federal court jury in New York on Feb. 24 last year.

Moore was researching piracy near Galkayo in Somalia when a group of armed men surrounded his vehicle, pulled him out, and abducted him on Jan. 21, 2012, according to the indictment.

The men were armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, the DOJ stated. Moore was held in various locations near the Somalian city of Hobyo for 977 days following his abduction.

Hassan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, served as the minister of the interior in Galmudug province in Somalia, where Moore was held hostage. The role made him responsible for police and security forces but he also acted as a leader of the pirates, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

He led efforts to extort ransom from Moore’s mother and used his residence as an operational base for the pirates, the office said.

Mohamed, a Somali army officer, acted as the head of security and armorer for the pirates. He was responsible for moving Moore between locations in Somalia and supplying the pirates with heavy machine guns and other weapons, according to the statement.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the pair abused their positions in Somalia’s government by holding Moore captive.

“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,” Williams said in a statement. “Hassan and Mohamed were key players in that hostage taking ... Today’s sentences demonstrate our resolve to hold those who take Americans hostage accountable for their crimes.”

Throughout his years of captivity, Moore was moved between safe houses, chained up at night, and surrounded by armed guards. He was threatened with bodily harm and forced to record several “proof-of-life videos” calling for large ransom payments.

At one point, Moore was transferred to a hijacked boat where he was held alongside another hostage and 28 crew members of the ship. The captain had been killed by the hostage takers and his body was kept in the ship’s freezer, according to the indictment.

The freelance journalist was freed in September 2014 after a ransom was paid for his release. The DOJ did not specify the amount of ransom or how it was paid to the captors but Moore said at the time that his family raised $1.6 million for his release.

Both Hassan and Mohamed were sentenced to one day of supervised release in addition to their prison terms.

The Epoch Times reached out to lawyers representing Mohamed and Hassan for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.