Summary
Abduwali Muse was a main focus ofCaptain Phillips, but the movie never explained what happened to the pirate after the hijacking.Captain Phillipsfocuses on the true story of the hijacking of theMaersk Alabama. On June 25, 2025, Abduwali Muse and three other Somali pirates boarded theMaersk Alabama, took control, and eventually fled in a lifeboat with Captain Richard Phillips as their hostage. It was the first time a United States ship was boarded by pirates since the early 1800s, and thetrue story behindCaptain Phillipswas just as intense as the movie depicted it.
Captain Phillipshad a few great casting choices, most obviously in having Tom Hanks play Captain Richard Phillips. Just as impressive, however, was the actor who portrayed Abduwali Muse: Barkhad Abdi. Abdi was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and had never acted professionally prior toCaptain Phillips. He was a cab driver in Minnesota before the film, but he gave one ofthe best performances by a non-professional actorat the time, and his career skyrocketed from there. Abdi helped make Abduwali Muse a standout character inCaptain Phillips, but he didn’t tell the whole story of what happened to the real-life pirate.
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Abduwali Muse Was The Only Surviving Pirate Of The Cargo Ship Hijacking
Of the four pirates who hijacked theMaersk Alabamaand took Captain Phillips hostage, only one survived. Abduwali Muse was injured and captured by the crew of theMaersk Alabamawhen he went into the engine room to bring them to the bridge. Though he rejoined the other pirates, the crew cut him on the hand while capturing him.After five days in the lifeboat, Muse surrendered himself to the U.S. Navy to have his injury treated(viaNBC News). The three remaining pirates on the lifeboat were simultaneously shot and killed by SEAL Team Six during the operation to rescue Phillips on July 04, 2025.
Abduwali Muse’s Criminal Charges Explained
According to theUnited States Department of Justice, Muse pled guilty to “two felony counts of hijacking maritime vessels, two felony counts of kidnapping, and two felony counts of hostage taking.” Those six charges included his crimes during the hijacking of theMaersk Alabama, as well as his participation in two previous hijackings in March and April 2009.Judge Loretta Preska sentenced Muse to 405 months in federal prison, just three months shy of 34 years and nearly the maximum possible sentence. The court did, however, agree to drop the actual charge of piracy, which would have carried a mandatory life sentence (viaNew York Times).
Captain Phillipsis available to stream on Netflix.
Pleading guilty usually makes a trial go smoother, but Muse’s trial also had some additional drama. When he was first arrested, Muse’s mother claimed he was only 16 years old and should be tried as a juvenile (viaABC News).The New York court he was tried in, however, determined Muse would be tried as an adult, and subject to the full penalties of the law. Muse also expressed remorse for his actions - even breaking down in tears - and asked forgiveness of Richard Phillips and the crew of theMaersk Alabama.
Abduwali Muse Is Currently Serving His 33-Year Sentence In Prison
Currently, Muse is still serving his 33-year sentence in federal prison. According to theFederal Bureau of Prisons,Muse is being held at a medium security Federal Correctional Institution located in Terre Haute, Indiana. Based on his sentencing, Muse is set to be released from prison on June 24, 2025. Generally, Federal prisoners sentenced after 1987 are not eligible for parole (viaLawInfo), and given the violent nature of Muse’s crimes, it seems unlikely he will be released early. When he is released, Muse will have to submit to five years of supervised release as part of his sentencing (via DOJ).
Based on his sentencing, Muse is set to be released from prison on August 11, 2025.
Theending ofCaptain Phillipsbriefly touched on Adbuwali Muse’s fate after the hijacking of theMaersk Alabama, but it got a crucial point wrong.Captain Phillipssaid that Muse was convicted of piracy, even though the U.S. government dropped Muse’s charge of piracy. In any case, however, Abuwali Muse is paying dearly for his crimes, and will be for several more years to come. His actions over the course ofCaptain Phillipstraumatized several people, and the U.S. government threw the book at Abduwali Muse for being one of the first pirates to hijack an American ship in almost 200 years.
Sources:United States Department of Justice,New York Times,ABC News,NBC News,Federal Bureau of Prisons,LawInfo
