NEW YORK — Two Somali men were sentenced Tuesday to 30 years each in prison for their roles in the 977-day hostage-taking of American journalist Michael Scott Moore, whom they held captive in Somalia while exploiting their government positions to aid in the abduction and extortion. Abdi Yusef Hassan, 56, of Minneapolis, and Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed, 43, of Mogadishu, were convicted in February 2023 by a jury in the Eastern District of New York of hostage-taking, terrorism, and firearms offenses.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen condemned their actions, noting the brutality of Moore’s ordeal. “For nearly three years, Hassan and Mohamed used their positions to terrorize Mr. Moore, denying him his freedom and subjecting him to repeated threats of violence,” he said.
According to evidence presented at trial, Moore, a freelance journalist, traveled to Somalia in 2012 to research piracy but was seized by heavily armed men in Galkayo. His captors beat him, held him at various locations, and even took him to sea aboard the hijacked vessel Naham III, where he endured months of deprivation alongside international hostages. Hassan, then Minister of the Interior in Galmudug province, led the pirates’ ransom efforts from his home, while Mohamed, an officer in the Somali army, managed Moore’s security and the pirates’ weapons.
Prosecutors said that Hassan and Mohamed used Moore’s captivity as leverage to demand a massive ransom from Moore’s elderly mother. Hassan directed proof-of-life videos, and both men threatened Moore with further violence. Moore’s release came in September 2014 after a ransom payment.
“Both defendants violated the trust of the Somali people and their positions to terrorize an American citizen,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
In addition to prison, both men received a one-day term of supervised release. The FBI led the investigation with support from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
