Abduwali Muse Verified Jun 2026

Muse became the first pirate to stand trial in the United States in over 100 years.

[Maersk Alabama Hijacked] ──> [Crew Hides in Engine Room] ──> [Capt. Phillips Taken to Lifeboat] ──> [Navy SEAL Rescue] abduwali muse

On April 8, 2009, Muse and three other teenaged Somali pirates—Assad, Bilal, and Elmi—boarded the MV Maersk Alabama roughly 240 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia. The container ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of humanitarian aid supplies destinados for East Africa. Muse became the first pirate to stand trial

On April 12, 2009, with Phillips’s life in imminent danger, Navy SEAL snipers on the fantail of the Bainbridge fired simultaneously, killing the three pirates holding Phillips. Muse, who had been on the Bainbridge attempting to negotiate, was taken into custody. The container ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons

However, the incoming Obama administration made a pivotal decision. Citing the strength of the evidence and the fact that the crime occurred outside a traditional battlefield, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Muse would be tried in a U.S. civilian federal court in New York City.