The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced Tuesday that two Somali men will be sentenced to 30 years in prison for kidnapping an American journalist.
in press release“Today, Abdi Yusuf Hassan and Mohamed Talil Mohamed were sentenced to 30 years in prison for hostage, terrorism and firearms crimes in connection with the 977-day hostage crisis,” the attorney's office said in a statement from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. He announced that he had been sentenced.” An American journalist is kidnapped in Somalia. ”
The law firm said that according to “indictments, indictments, evidence at trial, and statements made in public court proceedings,” U.S. freelance journalist Michael Scott Moore committed “piracy” in early 2012. “I went to Somalia to investigate the act and the Somali economy.”
Around that time, he was “driving near Galkayo, Somalia, when his vehicle was suddenly surrounded by a group of heavily armed men carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers,” the law firm said. He was taken from his vehicle, beaten, and “taken in another vehicle to a secluded area where he was detained along with two Seychellois fishermen ('Fisherman 1' and 'Fisherman 2').
“The fishermen were abducted off the coast of Somalia in October 2011,” the law firm said in a statement. “Mr. Moore was detained for approximately three months at various locations near Hobyo, Somalia.''
From there, the ministry said it would transport Moore to another location, including a ship, but added: “After paying a ransom, Moore's captors released him in late 2014.”
“Michael Scott Moore was held hostage by pirates in Somalia for nearly three years,” Williams said in a statement.
“He was beaten, chained to the floor and threatened with assault rifles and machine guns. Hassan and Mohamed were central figures in the hostage situation,” Williams added. “Both, Hassan as a senior security official and Mohamed as an army officer, abused their positions within the Somali government and captured Americans to serve their own desires.”
The Hill has reached out to Hassan's attorney. lawyer Mohammed's case was reported by NBC News.
“Mr. Moore acknowledged that Mr. Mohamed was kind throughout the ordeal,” Mohamed's attorney Susan Kelman told The Hill in an email. “One of the words Mr. Moore used to describe Mr. Mohamed was 'kind.'” I asked the court for leniency.”
Updated at 10:33pm EDT
