Maersk Alabama hijacking

The Maersk Alabama hijacking it was a hijacking of the Maersk Alabama sea ship in 2009. It was hijacked by four pirates in the Indian Ocean. It was  southeast of Eyl, Somalia. The four pirates soon took its captain, Richard Phillips, as hostage on the Maersk Alabama's lifeboat.

The hijacking ended after a rescue effort by the U.S. Navy on 12 April 2009, by shooting three of the four pirates. The leader of the attack was in the USS Bainbridge looking for a ransom agreement. He was arrested on site. The pirates wanted a ransom of 10 million dollars. Only three people died (all were the hijackers) during the attack.

The book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea (2010) by Stephan Talty and Captain Richard Phillips was published soon afterwards. The hijacking also inspired the 2013 movie Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks.

The leader of the attack, Abduwali Muse, is currently serving time in prison in Indiana.

References

Category:2009 crimes
Category:2009 in the United States
Category:21st century in Somalia