On 16 February 2011, Muse was convicted and sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in US federal prison.
21 Facts About Abduwali Muse
1.
2.
Abduwali Muse was portrayed by Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi in the 2013 film Captain Phillips, a dramatization of the hijacking.
3.
Abduwali Muse was born in Galkayo, a divided city in Somalia.
4.
Abduwali Muse grew up in poverty often without food or clothes.
5.
Abduwali Muse was married in 2008 but could not afford to establish a home for himself and his wife.
6.
Abduwali Muse was thought to be the first person to be charged with piracy in an American court in more than 100 years, when courts ruled in 1885 that Ambrose Light was not a pirate vessel.
7.
In 2010, Abduwali Muse was charged in connection with two additional attacks on international shipping.
8.
Abduwali Muse was tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City.
9.
Abduwali 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.
10.
When initially captured, US officials reported Abduwali Muse as being 16 to 20 years old, and that his name was Abduhl Wali-i-Musi.
11.
On 20 April 2009, CBC News reported that US officials indicated that investigators had confirmed Abduwali Muse was over 18, which removed additional steps that would be required to prosecute him had it been determined that he was a minor.
12.
Abduwali Muse indicated that he was only 16 years old and that his name was Abdi Wali Abdulqadir Muse.
13.
Abduwali 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.
14.
Abduwali Muse pleaded guilty to the hijacking, kidnapping and hostage-taking charges on 18 May 2010.
15.
On 16 February 2011, Abduwali Muse was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in federal prison.
16.
Abduwali Muse was initially incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute in the Communications Management Unit.
17.
Abduwali Muse was moved to Federal Correctional Institution, Edgefield temporarily, but has since been transferred back to Terre Haute as of November 2020.
18.
Abduwali 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.
19.
Abduwali Muse said he spent his free time in prison watching TV, reading and writing.
20.
Abduwali Muse spent some time in solitary confinement for being "disruptive".
21.
Abduwali Muse was portrayed by Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi in the 2013 film Captain Phillips, a dramatization of the events in 2009, starring Tom Hanks as the titular character.