A Somali pirate who attacked the Maersk Alabama cargo ship off the coast of Africa in 2009 was sentenced to 33 years and nine months in prison in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse pleaded guilty last year to federal charges that alleged he and a group of armed pirates commandeered a merchant ship in the Indian Ocean and took its captain hostage. Navy sharpshooters killed three of Muse's crew and rescued Captain Richard Phillips, who was at the helm of the U.S.-flagged ship.

Before the sentencing, Muse told the court in Lower Manhattan that he was "very sorry" and had "got my hands into something that was more powerful than me."

With Associated Press