Minneapolis man sentenced for role in Somali pirate kidnapping of American journalist for 2.5 years

A Minneapolis man who served as the leader in the overseas kidnapping of a journalist for over two-and-a-half years in 2012 was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday.

Abdi Yusef Hassan, 56, was sentenced in federal court to 30 years in prison for hostage taking, terrorism and firearms offenses in connection with the 977-day hostage taking of American journalist Michael Scott Moore, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 2012, Moore, a freelance journalist, traveled to Somalia to research piracy and the Somali economy. On Jan. 21 of that year, Moore was driving in Galkayo, Somalia when his vehicle was surrounded by men carrying assault rifles and grenade launchers.

Moore was taken from his vehicle, beaten and driven to a secondary location where he was held with two fishermen who had also been abducted.

For three months, Moore was held captive in Hobyo, Somalia, before being transferred to a boat in April 2012.

Aboard the boat — which was hijacked by the pirates holding Moore captive in March of 2012 — included Moore, one of the fishermen, and 28 crew members of the ship. Crew members told Moore that their captors had killed the captain of the ship when they captured the vessel.

Moore was kept on the ship until May of 2012, when his captors brought him to the Somali bush and forced him to watch the torture of the fisherman.

Over the course of the next two years, Moore’s captors moved him around to different safehouses while forcing him to film proof-of-life videos asking for large ransom payments in return for his release.

DOJ officials say while Moore was held captive, Hassan served as the Minister of the Interior in the Galmudug province in Somalia. That position meant Hassan had responsibility over the police and security forces in the area.

Hassan’s role in the kidnapping was as the director behind the proof-of-life videos, in addition to “participating in negotiations for ransom payments,” and utilizing his home as a base for the pirates.

In September of 2014, Moore was released after the ransom was paid.

Sentenced alongside Hassan on Tuesday was Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed, 43, of Mogadishu, Somalia. Mohamed and Hassan were found guilty February of 2023 following a three-week trial in New York.