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{{Infobox Pirate
{{Short description|Somali Pirate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
|name=Abduhl Wal-i-Musi
{{Infobox criminal
|lived=b. 1990
| name = Abduwali Muse
|type=[[Pirate|accused pirate]]
| native_name = {{lang|so|{{nq|عبدالولي موسى}}}}
|placeofbirth= [[Gaalkacyo]], [[Somalia]]
| image = Abdulwalimuse2.jpg
|placeofdeath=
| image_size =
|allegiance=None
| alt =
|serviceyears=
| caption = Federal agents escort Abdulwali Muse into FBI headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza in New York on April 20, 2009
|base of operations=[[Gulf of Aden]]
| birth_name = Abduwali Abdulkadir Muse
|rank=
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1990}}<ref name="BOP" />
|commands=
| birth_place = [[Galkayo]], [[Somali Democratic Republic|Somalia]]
|battles=
| alias = Abdulwali Abdukhad Muse,<ref name="BOP" /> Abdul Wali Muse, Wal-i-Musi
|wealth=
| allegiance =
|laterwork=
| motive =
| charge = [[Maersk Alabama hijacking|''Maersk Alabama'' hijacking]]
| conviction =
| conviction_status = Incarcerated on [[piracy]] charges. Sentenced to 33 years and 9 months imprisonment. Currently located at [[Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute]], to be released 20 June 2038.
| occupation =
| parents =
}}
}}
'''Abduwali Abdulkadir Muse''' ({{langx|so|{{nq|عبدالولي موسى}}}}, {{lang|so|Cabdiweli Cabdiqaadir Muuse}}; {{IPA|so|ʕabdiweli ʕabdiqaːdir muːse|pron}}; {{Audio|En-us-Abdiwali Abdukhadir Muse from Somalia pronunciation (Voice of America).ogg|Somali pronunciation}}; born 1990) is a Somali [[Piracy off the coast of Somalia|pirate]]. He is the sole survivor of four pirates who [[Maersk Alabama hijacking|hijacked]] the {{ship|MV|Maersk Alabama}} in April 2009 and then held Captain [[Richard Phillips (merchant mariner)|Richard Phillips]] for ransom.<ref name=NYDailyNews>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/17/2009-04-17_free_and_frisky_sailor_william_rios_held_by_somali_pirates_rejoins_wife_in_harle.html| quote=It was not known when he will be brought to stand trial in New York, chosen because the local FBI office has a history of handling cases in Africa involving major crimes against Americans. His tribe is the Hawiye in the Darood clan. The suspect, believed to be 17 to 19 years old, could face life in prison if convicted.| title=Free and frisky: Maersk Alabama sailor William Rios, held by Somali pirates, rejoins wife in Harlem| date=17 April 2009|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420110142/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/17/2009-04-17_free_and_frisky_sailor_william_rios_held_by_somali_pirates_rejoins_wife_in_harle.html|archive-date=20 April 2009| url-status=dead| first1=Erica| last1=Pearson}}</ref> On 16 February 2011, Muse was convicted and sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in [[U.S. federal prison]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Somali pirate gets over 33 years in prison |first=Tom |last=Hays |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/ap_on_re_us/us_piracy_suspect |agency=AAP |date=16 February 2011 |publisher=News.Yahoo.com |access-date=30 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218083517/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/ap_on_re_us/us_piracy_suspect |archive-date=18 February 2011 }}</ref>


Muse was portrayed by Somali-American actor [[Barkhad Abdi]] in the 2013 film ''[[Captain Phillips (film)|Captain Phillips]]'', a dramatization of the hijacking.
'''Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse''' is a [[Somali people|Somali]] accused of piracy, the only survivor of a group of four who allegedly attacked the [[MV Maersk Alabama]] and held the captain for ransom at gunpoint.<ref name=NYDailyNews>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/17/2009-04-17_free_and_frisky_sailor_william_rios_held_by_somali_pirates_rejoins_wife_in_harle.html
| quote=It was not known when he will be brought to stand trial in New York, chosen because the local FBI office has a history of handling cases in Africa involving major crimes against Americans. The suspect, believed to be 17 to 19 years old, could face life in prison if convicted.
| title=Free and frisky: Maersk Alabama sailor William Rios, held by Somali pirates, rejoins wife in Harlem
| date=2009-04-17
| author=
| publisher=[[New York Daily News]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nydailynews.com%2Fnews%2F2009%2F04%2F17%2F2009-04-17_free_and_frisky_sailor_william_rios_held_by_somali_pirates_rejoins_wife_in_harle.html&date=2009-04-20
| archivedate=2009-04-20
}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Muse was born in [[Galkayo]], a [[divided city]] in [[Somali Democratic Republic|Somalia]].


He grew up in poverty often without food or clothes. At a young age he was kicked in the face by a camel and lost two of his front teeth. By the age of 12, he was living alone and initially worked as an assistant to taxi drivers before working as a cook for fishermen. He was married in 2008 but could not afford to establish a home for himself and his wife.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15068088 |title = Somali pirates face hard time in US prison|work = BBC News|date = 3 October 2011|last1 = Nasaw|first1 = Daniel}}</ref>
He was born in 1990 in [[Gaalkacyo]], in [[Puntland]] - one of the two semi-autonomous states carved out of Somalia's North.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pirate mother's Obama mercy plea |journal=BBC |date=2009-04-20 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8008835.stm|accessdate=2009-04-20}}</ref><ref name=Cbc2009-04-20>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/20/us-somaliapirate.html
| title=Somali pirate being flown to New York to be tried in U.S. federal court
| date=2009-04-20
| author=
| publisher=[[CBC News]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fworld%2Fstory%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fus-somaliapirate.html&date=2009-04-20
| archivedate=2009-04-20
}}</ref><ref name=NbcNews2009-04-20>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Captured-Somali-Pirate-En-Route-to-NY-for-Trial.html
| title=Captured Somali Pirate Due in NY Court Tomorrow
| date=2009-04-20
| author=Jonathon Dienst, Victoria Cavaliere
| publisher=[[NBC News]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnewyork.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2FCaptured-Somali-Pirate-En-Route-to-NY-for-Trial.html&date=2009-04-20
| archivedate=2009-04-20
}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes2009-04-21>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/nyregion/22pirate.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all
| title=Pirate Suspect Charged as Adult in New York
| date=2009-04-21
| author=Benjamin Weiser
| publisher=[[New York Times]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F04%2F22%2Fnyregion%2F22pirate.html%3F_r%3D2%26hp%3D%26pagewanted%3Dall&date=2009-04-22
| archivedate=2009-04-22
}}</ref><ref name=WashingtonPost2009-04-21>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/04/21/ST2009042101514.html?hpid=moreheadlines
| title=Somali Charged With Piracy in Attack on U.S. Ship
| date=2009-04-22
| author=Colleen Long, Larry Neumeister
| publisher=[[Washington Post]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Fstory%2F2009%2F04%2F21%2FST2009042101514.html%3Fhpid%3Dmoreheadlines&date=2009-04-22
| archivedate=2009-04-22
}}</ref>
His age is disputed.
His mother, Adar Abdirahman Hassan, asserts he was only sixteen.
His father, Abdiqadir Muse, asserts he was born in November 1993—which would make him fifteen.
Assistant [[United States Attorney]] [[Brendan McGuire]] informed [[US District Court Judge]] [[Andrew J. Peck]] at a hearing to determine Wal-i-Musi's age that he had told Americans he was 16, 18, 19, and 26 years old.
Colleen Long and Larry Neumeister, writing for the ''[[Associated Press]]'', reported that Wal-i-Musi was only five foot two inches (157 cm) tall—so tiny American prison officials had not been able to supply him with clothes that fit him.<ref name=AssociatedPress2009-04-21>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izUbtx1o15cqD9GcYDcuI16mUxQQD97N62H00
| title=Pirate comes to NY, world away from home in Africa
| date=2009-04-21
| author=Colleen Long, Larry Neumeister
| publisher=[[Associated Press]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fap%2Farticle%2FALeqM5izUbtx1o15cqD9GcYDcuI16mUxQQD97N62H00&date=2009-04-22
| archivedate=2009-04-22
}}</ref>


==Attack on the Maersk Alabama==
==Attack on ''Maersk Alabama''==
{{further|Maersk Alabama hijacking}}
According to his indictment, he was the first of the four men who attacked the [[Maersk Alabama]] to board, and during the attack, was stabbed in the hand by a sailor. He was tied up for 12 hours, and offered as an exchange for the Alabama's captain, Richard Phillips.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7991114.stm |title=Africa &#124; FBI in hostage talks with Somalis |publisher=BBC News |date=2009-04-09 |accessdate=2009-04-09}}</ref>
According to his indictment, Muse was the first of the four men who boarded ''[[Maersk Alabama]]''. During the attack, he was stabbed in the hand by a sailor. The crew attacked and held Muse hostage while [[Richard Phillips (merchant mariner)|Richard Phillips]] offered him and the pirates money to leave ''Maersk Alabama'' safely on the ship's lifeboat. However, Muse's fellow pirates forced Phillips into the lifeboat before ''Maersk Alabama'''s crew could release Muse. All four pirates escaped the ship, with Phillips held hostage inside the lifeboat. A day later [[USS Bainbridge (DDG-96)|USS ''Bainbridge'']] intercepted the lifeboat; Navy officers negotiated with the armed pirates for hours and agreed to take Muse on board ''Bainbridge'' to "meet" with elders from his clan to negotiate the release of Phillips. After Muse had been taken on board, the three remaining pirates were shot dead simultaneously by [[United States Navy SEALs|Navy SEAL]] [[sniper|sharpshooters]]. Muse was charged and taken into American custody. Muse was thought to be the first person to be charged with [[piracy]] in an American court in more than 100 years,<ref name=guardian>{{cite news|first=Ed |last=Pilkington |title=Somali teen faces first US piracy charges in over a century |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/21/somali-pirate-trial-new-york |work=The Guardian |date=21 April 2009 |access-date=21 April 2009 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424055601/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/21/somali-pirate-trial-new-york |archive-date=24 April 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> when courts ruled in 1885 that [[Ambrose Light (ship)|''Ambrose Light'']] was not a pirate vessel. A more recent case, 2008's ''[[United States v. Shi]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=United States v. Shi |url=http://www.dailycasereport.com/index.php?q=open_pdf/3596 |access-date=25 April 2009}}</ref> which was quoted in his indictment, involves murder and a crew member taking over a ship and holding a hostage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ellis |first=Steven M. | title= Ninth Circuit Court Upholds Chinese Man's Piracy Conviction | url= http://www.metnews.com/articles/2008/shi042508.htm| work=Metropolitan News-Enterprise | publisher= Metropolitan News Company| date=25 April 2008 | access-date=6 May 2009}}
Wal-i-Musi was thought to be the first person to be charged with [[piracy]] in an American court in more than 100 years,<ref name=guardian> {{cite news |first=Ed|last=Pilkington|title=Somali teen faces first US piracy charges in over a century|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/21/somali-pirate-trial-new-york|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=|date=2009-04-21 |accessdate=2009-04-21}}</ref> when courts rules that the [[Ambrose Light (ship)|Ambrose Light]] was not a pirate vessel.
A more recent case ''[[United States v. Shi]]''<ref> {{cite web |title=United States v. Shi |url=http://www.dailycasereport.com/index.php?q=open_pdf/3596 |accessdate=2009-04-25}}</ref>, quoted in his indictment, that involves taking over a ship and holding a hostage.
<ref>{{cite news |last=Ellis |first=Steven M. | title= Ninth Circuit Court Upholds Chinese Man's Piracy Conviction | url= http://www.metnews.com/articles/2008/shi042508.htm| work=Metropolitan News-Enterprise | publisher= Metropolitan News Company| date=2008-04-25 | accessdate=2009-05-06}}
</ref>
</ref>

==Additional attacks==
In 2010, Muse was charged in connection with two additional attacks on international shipping.<ref>{{cite news |title= Somali Man Is Charged in 2 More Ship Hijackings |first= Benjamin |last= Weiser |author-link= Benjamin Weiser |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/nyregion/13pirate.html |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] |date= 12 January 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Maersk Alabama suspect charged in two other piracy incidents |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/12/maersk.alabama.charges/index.html |date=12 January 2010 |publisher=CNN }}</ref> The indictment does not name the two vessels involved, hijacked in March and April 2009. However, they are likely to include the 700-ton fishing vessel ''[[FV Win Far 161|Win Far 161]]'', which was used as a [[mother ship]] in other attacks, including the ''Maersk Alabama'' hijacking.<ref>{{cite news |first= Chiang|last= Huang-chih|url= http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/09/07/2003452966 |newspaper= [[Taipei Times]]|date= 7 September 2009 |title= Does MOFA care about 'Win Far'? }}</ref><ref name="BBC8510938">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8510938.stm |title=Somali pirates free Taiwanese fishing boat |work=BBC News |date=11 February 2010 |access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> Two of the ''Win Far 161's'' crew, one sailor from mainland China and the other from Indonesia, died of illness.<ref name="xiamen10786">{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news10786.html |title=Hijacked Taiwan fishing boat Win Far 161 escorted home |publisher=Whats on Xiamen |date=8 March 2010 |access-date=30 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053755/http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news10786.html |archive-date=21 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Trial==
==Trial==
He will be tried in U.S. federal court in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Somali 'pirate' to be tried in US |journal=BBC |date=2009-04-17 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8003936.stm |accessdate=2009-04-17}}</ref>
Muse was tried in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Somali 'pirate' to be tried in US |journal=BBC |date=17 April 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8003936.stm |access-date=17 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420040535/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8003936.stm |archive-date=20 April 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>


There was some confusion as to his age. According to the ''[[New York Daily News]]'', he was at the time 17 to 19 years old.<ref name="NYDailyNews" /> Muse was to stand trial in New York because of the local [[FBI]] office's expertise in handling cases where major crimes were perpetrated against Americans in Africa, such as the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]] in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]]. [[CBC News]] also reported that U.S. authorities had considered transferring him to authorities in Kenya per international agreement to prosecute pirate suspects.<ref name="Cbc2009-04-20">{{cite news |date=20 April 2009 |title=Somali pirate being flown to New York to be tried in U.S. federal court |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/somalian-pirate-suspect-arrives-in-new-york-to-be-tried-in-u-s-court-1.777441 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424074840/http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/20/us-somaliapirate.html |archive-date=24 April 2009 |publisher=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="Cbc2009-04-16">{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/captured-somalian-pirate-to-face-trial-in-u-s-1.777443| title=Captured Somalian pirate to face trial in U.S.| date=16 April 2009| quote=If Wal-i-Musi is under 18, federal prosecutors would have to take a number of additional steps to justify charging him in federal court.| publisher=[[CBC News]]
According to the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' he is 17 to 19 years old.<ref name=NYDailyNews/>
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419120807/http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/16/phillips-kenya-pirates016.html
They report he will be charged, and stand trial in [[New York]] because of the expertise of the New York [[FBI]] office in handling cases where major crimes were perpetrated against Americans in Africa. His mother claims that he is innocent, and 16 years old. The ''[[CBC News]]'' reported US authorities had considered transferring him to Kenyan custody.<ref name=Cbc2009-04-20/><ref name=Cbc2009-04-16>
| url-status=live|archive-date=19 April 2009}}</ref>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/16/phillips-kenya-pirates016.html
| title=Captured Somalian pirate to face trial in U.S.
| date=2009-04-16
| author=
| quote=If Wal-i-Musi is under 18, federal prosecutors would have to take a number of additional steps to justify charging him in federal court.
| publisher=[[CBC News]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fworld%2Fstory%2F2009%2F04%2F16%2Fphillips-kenya-pirates016.html&date=2009-04-20
| archivedate=2009-04-20
}}</ref>
The ''CBC'' reported on speculation over his age. When initially captured his age was estimated to be between 16 and 20.
On April 16, 2009,
[[United States Secretary of Defense]] [[Robert Gates]] stated that all four pirates were between 17 and 19.
On April 20, 2009, the ''CBC'' reported that US officials stated they had confirmed he was over eighteen. If they believed he was under eighteen there would have been "further steps" required to prosecute him.


When initially captured, U.S. officials reported Muse as being 16 to 20 years old, and that his name was Abduhl Wali-i-Musi. U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]] asserted that all four pirate suspects were between the ages of 17 and 19. On 20 April 2009, [[CBC News]] reported that U.S. officials indicated that investigators had confirmed Muse was over 18, which removed additional steps that would be required to prosecute him had it been determined that he was a minor.<ref name="Cbc2009-04-20" />
However the CBC interviewed his mother, who stated the USA had both his name and age wrong.<ref name=Cbc2009-04-20/>
She stated he was only sixteen and that his name was '''"Abdi Wali Abdulqadir Muse"'''. His mother, Adar Abdurahman Hassan, also appealed to the U.S. government and President [[Barack Obama]] to free her son, in an interview with the [[BBC]] [[Somali language|Somali]] service.<ref name=bbcsomali> {{cite news |first=|last=|title=Mother of boy accused of piracy speaks to the BBC |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/04/090421_somali_mother_nh.shtml|work=[[BBC World Service]]|publisher=|date=2009-04-21 |accessdate=2009-04-21}}</ref>


Muse's mother, Adar Abdurahman Hassan, stated in a telephone interview with the [[Associated Press]] that U.S. authorities had both his name and age wrong.<ref name="Cbc2009-04-20" /> She indicated that he was only 16 years old and that his name was Abdi Wali Abdulqadir Muse. In an interview with the [[BBC Somali]] service, Muse's mother also appealed to the U.S. government and president to free her son,<ref name="bbcsomali">{{cite news|title=Mother of boy accused of piracy speaks to the BBC |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/04/090421_somali_mother_nh.shtml |work=[[BBC World Service]] |date=21 April 2009 |access-date=21 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422152813/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/04/090421_somali_mother_nh.shtml |archive-date=22 April 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> asserting that Muse had been lured into pirate activity by wealthy unnamed criminals.<ref name="Cbc2009-04-20" />
According to [[Ron Kuby]], a civil rights lawyer who has considered offering his services to Wal-i-Musi:<ref name=Cbc2009-04-20/>
{{quotation|"I think in this particular case, there's a grave question as to whether America was in violation of principles of truce in warfare on the high seas. This man seemed to come onto the Bainbridge under a flag of truce to negotiate. He was then captured. There is a question whether he is lawfully in American custody and serious questions as to whether he can be prosecuted because of his age."<ref name=Cbc2009-04-20/>}}


In a court ruling on 21 April 2009, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Peck decided Muse was not under 18 and that he could be [[Trial as an adult|tried as an adult]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Indictment 21 April 2009 |url=http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/22pirate_Complaint.pdf |access-date=29 April 2009 | work=The New York Times}}</ref> Muse was then brought to New York to face trial on charges including piracy under the [[International law|law of nations]], [[Conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy]] to seize a ship by force, conspiracy to commit [[hostage]]-taking, and firearms related charges, carrying a potential of up to four life sentences.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Somali 'pirate' appears in court |journal=BBC |date=21 April 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8010131.stm |access-date=21 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422011742/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8010131.stm |archive-date=22 April 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> The charge of piracy has a mandatory life sentence ([[Title 18 of the United States Code|18 USC]] 1651), and there is no parole in U.S. federal prisons.
''[[Fox News]]'' incorrectly reported on April 16, 2009, that charges had already been filed against Wal-i-Musi, awaiting his arrival in New York.<ref>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,516909,00.html
| title=Captured Somali Pirate to Be Tried in New York
| date=2009-04-16
| author=
| publisher=[[Fox News]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C516909%2C00.html&date=2009-04-21
| archivedate=2009-04-20
}}</ref>
''[[KDKA-TV]]'' reported on April 20, 2009, that charges had not yet been filed.<ref>
{{cite news
| url=http://kdka.com/national/new.york.court.2.989775.html
| title=New York Court To Prosecute Accused Somali Pirate
| date=2009-04-20
| author=
| publisher=[[KDKA-TV]]
| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkdka.com%2Fnational%2Fnew.york.court.2.989775.html&date=2009-04-21
| archivedate=2009-04-20
}}</ref>


On 19 May 2009, a federal [[grand jury]] in New York returned a ten-count indictment against Muse.<ref name="MusiIndictment">{{cite news|url=http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/piracy/usmuse51909ind.html |title=Indictment (U.S. v. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse) |date=19 May 2009 |work=FindLaw |access-date=19 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626070734/http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/piracy/usmuse51909ind.html |archive-date=26 June 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In a court ruling on April 21, 2009, US magistrate judge Andrew J. Peck decided Wal-i-Musi was not under 18, and that he could be tried as an adult.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indictment 21 April 2009 |url=http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/22pirate_Complaint.pdf |accessdate=2009-04-29}}</ref> Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse has been brought to New York to face trial on charges including piracy under the law of nations, conspiracy to seize a ship by force, conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, and firearms related charges, carrying a potential of up to four life sentences.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Somali 'pirate' appears in court |journal=BBC |date=2009-04-21 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8010131.stm | accessdate=2009-04-21}}</ref>

Muse pleaded guilty to the hijacking, kidnapping and hostage-taking charges on 18 May 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title= Somali man pleads guilty to seizing US merchant ship|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10124279.stm |agency= BBC News |date= 18 May 2010}}</ref> Charges of [[piracy]] and possession of a [[machine gun]] were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.<ref name="Nsmpgithocs">{{cite news |title=Somali Man Pleads Guilty in 2009 Hijacking of Cargo Ship |first= Ray|last= Rivera|author-link=Ray Rivera |author2= Benjamin Weiser|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/nyregion/19pirate.html |newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date= 18 May 2010}}</ref>

On 16 February 2011, Muse was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in federal prison.<ref>{{cite news|title=Somali pirate sentenced to 33 years in US prison |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12486129 |agency=BBC News |date=16 February 2011 |access-date=16 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217030938/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12486129 |archive-date=17 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Imprisonment==
Muse was initially incarcerated (and currently resides) at the [[Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute]] in the [[Communications management unit|Communications Management Unit]]. His projected release date is 20 June 2038.<ref name="BOP">{{cite web |title=Inmate Locator |url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=70636-054 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107032623/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=70636-054 |archive-date=7 November 2013 |access-date=22 February 2014 |publisher=[[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] |quote=ABDULWALI ABDUKHAD MUSE, AGE: 24, Register Number: 70636-054}}</ref> He was moved to [[Federal Correctional Institution, Edgefield]] temporarily, but has since been transferred back to Terre Haute as of November 2020.

Muse worked as a prison [[orderly]], although his wage was garnished to pay the restitution he owes for the hijacking as well as a court fee. He said he spent his free time in prison watching TV, reading and writing. In 2016, he acquired a [[General Educational Development|GED]]. While in Terre Haute he received his first English lesson from [[Mufid Abdulqader]] who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison after the [[Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development|Holy Land Foundation]] trial.<ref>[[Miko Peled|Peled, Miko]] (2018) ''Injustice. The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five''. Just World Books. {{ISBN|978-1-68257-085-2}}.
pp.1998,199</ref> He spent some time in solitary confinement for being "disruptive".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/smiling-somali-pirate-says-jailers-have-ruined-his-grin | title='Smiling' Somali Pirate Says Jailers Have Ruined His Grin | date=30 June 2018 | first=Justin | last=Rohrlich | publisher=The Daily Beast | access-date=1 January 2019 }}</ref>[[File:Barkhad Abdi at LFCC Awards.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Barkhad Abdi portrayed Muse in ''[[Captain Phillips (film)|Captain Phillips]]'']]

== In popular culture ==
Muse was portrayed by Somali-American actor [[Barkhad Abdi]] in the 2013 film ''[[Captain Phillips (film)|Captain Phillips]]'', a dramatization of the events in 2009, also starring [[Tom Hanks]] as the [[Richard Phillips (merchant mariner)|titular character]]. The film received a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], and Abdi was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his portrayal of Muse.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
[[Category:Piracy in Somalia]]
* [https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4346433/united-states-v-muse/ Muse's criminal docket] on [[Court Listener]].
[[Category:Kidnappers]]
* [http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/piracy/usmuse51909ind.html Indictment] (U.S. v. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse), 19 May 2009 [[FindLaw]]
[[Category:Gaalkacyo]]
* [http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/piracy/usmuse42109cmp.html Criminal Complaint] (U.S. v. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse), 21 April 2009 [[FindLaw]]
*[https://www.bop.gov/mobile/find_inmate/index.jsp Inmate number 70636-054 Bureau of Prisons Inmate locator]
{{pirates}}
{{Piracy in Somalia}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Muse, Abduwali Abdukhadir}}
[[fi:Abdi Wali Muse]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Galkayo]]
[[Category:21st-century Somalian people]]
[[Category:Hijackers]]
[[Category:Kidnappers]]
[[Category:Somalian pirates]]
[[Category:21st-century pirates]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government]]
[[Category:Sole survivors]]
[[Category:Somalian criminals]]
[[Category:Somalian people imprisoned abroad]]
[[Category:1990 births]]

Latest revision as of 02:23, 4 January 2025

Abduwali Muse
عبدالولي موسى
Federal agents escort Abdulwali Muse into FBI headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza in New York on April 20, 2009
Born
Abduwali Abdulkadir Muse

1990 (age 34–35)[1]
Galkayo, Somalia
Other namesAbdulwali Abdukhad Muse,[1] Abdul Wali Muse, Wal-i-Musi
Criminal statusIncarcerated on piracy charges. Sentenced to 33 years and 9 months imprisonment. Currently located at Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute, to be released 20 June 2038.
Criminal chargeMaersk Alabama hijacking

Abduwali Abdulkadir Muse (Somali: عبدالولي موسى, Cabdiweli Cabdiqaadir Muuse; pronounced [ʕabdiweli ʕabdiqaːdir muːse]; Somali pronunciationⓘ; born 1990) is a Somali pirate. He is the sole survivor of four pirates who hijacked the MV Maersk Alabama in April 2009 and then held Captain Richard Phillips for ransom.[2] On 16 February 2011, Muse was convicted and sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in U.S. federal prison.[3]

Muse was portrayed by Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi in the 2013 film Captain Phillips, a dramatization of the hijacking.

Early life

[edit]

Muse was born in Galkayo, a divided city in Somalia.

He grew up in poverty often without food or clothes. At a young age he was kicked in the face by a camel and lost two of his front teeth. By the age of 12, he was living alone and initially worked as an assistant to taxi drivers before working as a cook for fishermen. He was married in 2008 but could not afford to establish a home for himself and his wife.[4]

Attack on Maersk Alabama

[edit]
Further information: Maersk Alabama hijacking

According to his indictment, Muse was the first of the four men who boarded Maersk Alabama. During the attack, he was stabbed in the hand by a sailor. The crew attacked and held Muse hostage while Richard Phillips offered him and the pirates money to leave Maersk Alabama safely on the ship's lifeboat. However, Muse's fellow pirates forced Phillips into the lifeboat before Maersk Alabama's crew could release Muse. All four pirates escaped the ship, with Phillips held hostage inside the lifeboat. A day later USS Bainbridge intercepted the lifeboat; Navy officers negotiated with the armed pirates for hours and agreed to take Muse on board Bainbridge to "meet" with elders from his clan to negotiate the release of Phillips. After Muse had been taken on board, the three remaining pirates were shot dead simultaneously by Navy SEAL sharpshooters. Muse was charged and taken into American custody. Muse was thought to be the first person to be charged with piracy in an American court in more than 100 years,[5] when courts ruled in 1885 that Ambrose Light was not a pirate vessel. A more recent case, 2008's United States v. Shi,[6] which was quoted in his indictment, involves murder and a crew member taking over a ship and holding a hostage.[7]

Additional attacks

[edit]

In 2010, Muse was charged in connection with two additional attacks on international shipping.[8][9] The indictment does not name the two vessels involved, hijacked in March and April 2009. However, they are likely to include the 700-ton fishing vessel Win Far 161, which was used as a mother ship in other attacks, including the Maersk Alabama hijacking.[10][11] Two of the Win Far 161's crew, one sailor from mainland China and the other from Indonesia, died of illness.[12]

Trial

[edit]

Muse was tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City.[13]

There was some confusion as to his age. According to the New York Daily News, he was at the time 17 to 19 years old.[2] Muse was to stand trial in New York because of the local FBI office's expertise in handling cases where major crimes were perpetrated against Americans in Africa, such as the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. CBC News also reported that U.S. authorities had considered transferring him to authorities in Kenya per international agreement to prosecute pirate suspects.[14][15]

When initially captured, U.S. officials reported Muse as being 16 to 20 years old, and that his name was Abduhl Wali-i-Musi. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asserted that all four pirate suspects were between the ages of 17 and 19. On 20 April 2009, CBC News reported that U.S. officials indicated that investigators had confirmed Muse was over 18, which removed additional steps that would be required to prosecute him had it been determined that he was a minor.[14]

Muse's mother, Adar Abdurahman Hassan, stated in a telephone interview with the Associated Press that U.S. authorities had both his name and age wrong.[14] She indicated that he was only 16 years old and that his name was Abdi Wali Abdulqadir Muse. In an interview with the BBC Somali service, Muse's mother also appealed to the U.S. government and president to free her son,[16] asserting that Muse had been lured into pirate activity by wealthy unnamed criminals.[14]

In a court ruling on 21 April 2009, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Peck decided Muse was not under 18 and that he could be tried as an adult.[17] Muse was then brought to New York to face trial on charges including piracy under the law of nations, conspiracy to seize a ship by force, conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, and firearms related charges, carrying a potential of up to four life sentences.[18] The charge of piracy has a mandatory life sentence (18 USC 1651), and there is no parole in U.S. federal prisons.

On 19 May 2009, a federal grand jury in New York returned a ten-count indictment against Muse.[19]

Muse pleaded guilty to the hijacking, kidnapping and hostage-taking charges on 18 May 2010.[20] Charges of piracy and possession of a machine gun were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.[21]

On 16 February 2011, Muse was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in federal prison.[22]

Imprisonment

[edit]

Muse was initially incarcerated (and currently resides) at the Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute in the Communications Management Unit. His projected release date is 20 June 2038.[1] He was moved to Federal Correctional Institution, Edgefield temporarily, but has since been transferred back to Terre Haute as of November 2020.

Muse worked as a prison orderly, although his wage was garnished to pay the restitution he owes for the hijacking as well as a court fee. He said he spent his free time in prison watching TV, reading and writing. In 2016, he acquired a GED. While in Terre Haute he received his first English lesson from Mufid Abdulqader who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison after the Holy Land Foundation trial.[23] He spent some time in solitary confinement for being "disruptive".[24]

Barkhad Abdi portrayed Muse in Captain Phillips
[edit]

Muse was portrayed by Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi in the 2013 film Captain Phillips, a dramatization of the events in 2009, also starring Tom Hanks as the titular character. The film received a nomination for Best Picture, and Abdi was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Muse.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2014. ABDULWALI ABDUKHAD MUSE, AGE: 24, Register Number: 70636-054
  2. ^ a b Pearson, Erica (17 April 2009). "Free and frisky: Maersk Alabama sailor William Rios, held by Somali pirates, rejoins wife in Harlem". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. It was not known when he will be brought to stand trial in New York, chosen because the local FBI office has a history of handling cases in Africa involving major crimes against Americans. His tribe is the Hawiye in the Darood clan. The suspect, believed to be 17 to 19 years old, could face life in prison if convicted.
  3. ^ Hays, Tom (16 February 2011). "Somali pirate gets over 33 years in prison". News.Yahoo.com. AAP. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  4. ^ Nasaw, Daniel (3 October 2011). "Somali pirates face hard time in US prison". BBC News.
  5. ^ Pilkington, Ed (21 April 2009). "Somali teen faces first US piracy charges in over a century". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  6. ^ "United States v. Shi". Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  7. ^ Ellis, Steven M. (25 April 2008). "Ninth Circuit Court Upholds Chinese Man's Piracy Conviction". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Metropolitan News Company. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  8. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (12 January 2010). "Somali Man Is Charged in 2 More Ship Hijackings". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Maersk Alabama suspect charged in two other piracy incidents". CNN. 12 January 2010.
  10. ^ Huang-chih, Chiang (7 September 2009). "Does MOFA care about 'Win Far'?". Taipei Times.
  11. ^ "Somali pirates free Taiwanese fishing boat". BBC News. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  12. ^ "Hijacked Taiwan fishing boat Win Far 161 escorted home". Whats on Xiamen. 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  13. ^ "Somali 'pirate' to be tried in US". BBC. 17 April 2009. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  14. ^ a b c d "Somali pirate being flown to New York to be tried in U.S. federal court". CBC News. 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009.
  15. ^ "Captured Somalian pirate to face trial in U.S." CBC News. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. If Wal-i-Musi is under 18, federal prosecutors would have to take a number of additional steps to justify charging him in federal court.
  16. ^ "Mother of boy accused of piracy speaks to the BBC". BBC World Service. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  17. ^ "Indictment 21 April 2009" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  18. ^ "Somali 'pirate' appears in court". BBC. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  19. ^ "Indictment (U.S. v. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse)". FindLaw. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  20. ^ "Somali man pleads guilty to seizing US merchant ship". BBC News. 18 May 2010.
  21. ^ Rivera, Ray; Benjamin Weiser (18 May 2010). "Somali Man Pleads Guilty in 2009 Hijacking of Cargo Ship". The New York Times.
  22. ^ "Somali pirate sentenced to 33 years in US prison". BBC News. 16 February 2011. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  23. ^ Peled, Miko (2018) Injustice. The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five. Just World Books. ISBN 978-1-68257-085-2. pp.1998,199
  24. ^ Rohrlich, Justin (30 June 2018). "'Smiling' Somali Pirate Says Jailers Have Ruined His Grin". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
[edit]
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