JULIAN DOREY PODCAST #372 EPISODE SUMMARY: “NIGHTMARE! Somali Pirate Hostage on 977 Days Inside HELL HOLE”
Guest: Michael Scott Moore
Date: January 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This gripping episode features journalist and author Michael Scott Moore, who spent 977 days as a hostage of Somali pirates. Host Julian Dorey dives into the details of Moore’s abduction, survival, and eventual release, unpacking the realities of modern piracy, the social chaos in Somalia, and the psychological journey of long-term captivity. The conversation moves fluidly between swathes of historical context, Michael’s personal ordeal, and reflections on trauma, resilience, and recovery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Background: Michael’s Journalism and Interest in Somalia

• Michael was reporting in Berlin for Spiegel Online (03:37), covering a groundbreaking trial of 10 Somali pirates—the first piracy trial in Germany in four centuries (03:53).
• Motivated by a desire to understand Somali piracy beyond headlines, Michael connected with sources who could take him to the pirate heartland (05:31).
• Quote: “Once I was covering this trial and seeing these 10 guys from Somalia in the courtroom...I realized that there was a book in it.” – Michael (04:22)

Somali Piracy: Historical Context & Modern Manifestation

• Somali piracy represented the largest resurgence of large-scale maritime piracy since the 19th century (05:46).
• Somalis initially armed themselves to protect their fishing from illegal international trawlers, eventually morphing into organized crime (17:54).
• Modern shipping responded with private security—mercenary teams made a difference, often more effectively than official navies (15:38).
• Quote: “It was an example of increasing chaos in the world...all of a sudden we have to deal with pirates again. Come on.” — Michael (16:01)

Michael’s Journey to Somalia

• Michael traveled with documentary filmmaker Ashwin Rahman and fixer Mohammed Gerlach, planning to interview pirates and locals in Galkayo and Hobyo (33:58).
• Security arrangements involved clan-based gunmen (34:01).
• He describes the fragile power structures and the reality that clan protection only applied within certain boundaries (34:42).

Interviewing a Pirate Boss (36:12)

• Inside Hobyo, they conducted a tense, interpreter-mediated interview with a pirate boss who openly stated he considered himself at war with European ships (38:24).
• Michael highlights the theatrical posturing and latent menace of the encounter (38:51).
• Quote: “He could have just posed as a defender of the Somali coastline, but…this was a mafia boss telling me that he was essentially at war with Europeans.” — Michael (37:11)

The Abduction: How Michael Became a Hostage

• After Ashwin left for Mogadishu, Michael was alone. A security lapse and a missing guard team led to his abduction at gunpoint just outside Galkayo (57:40).
• He was beaten, his wrist broken, and transported into the bush, where he joined other hostages and was thrust into the inner workings of pirate captivity (58:39).
• Quote: “They fired into the air. I’m like, oh fuck. But no, the first thing I thought was...my family—nobody’s gonna know what happened or how I am. It’s going to be horrible.” — Michael (57:47)

Life in Captivity: Routines, Despair, and Survival

• Early days involved movement from “prison houses” to makeshift bush camps. He ended up befriending fellow hostage Roli Tambara from the Seychelles (61:38).
• Negotiations began with phone calls home. Pirates demanded $20 million per hostage, a sum Michael called “not a serious request” (79:06).
• Quote: “Before I called on the phone, they said, you have to demand $20 million or we’ll start to starve you in 24 hours.” — Michael (79:06)
• Daily life was monotonous and isolating: “You would wait for the sun to go down and then you would sleep. That was it.” (85:17-85:36)

Brutality, Food, and Pirate Psychology

• Food ranged from slop pasta and goat meat to the rare treat of watermelon or coffee; salt was a rare luxury (84:01).
• Guards fluctuated between indifference, cruelty, and awkward camaraderie. Some joined Michael in yoga, finding common ground in the need for exercise (129:18).
• Traumatic moments included being threatened, beaten, and seeing a fellow hostage tortured (118:55).
• Quote: “I started to do yoga...then all of a sudden, there were seven guards looking at me…first it was sarcastic, but after two weeks, they realized they needed the exercise, too.” — Michael (129:18)

Hostage Negotiations & The American Response

• Michael’s mother became the voice in negotiations, with the FBI and the German government advising her (107:00).
• Phone calls home occurred irregularly; at one point, contact ceased for over a year for psychological pressure (130:46).

Six Months Afloat: Captivity on a Hostage Ship

• Michael and other hostages (mostly East Asian fishermen) were transferred to a seized Taiwanese-operated fishing boat (96:49).
• Pirate mutiny, deprivation, threats, and the presence of a murdered captain’s body in the freezer made the experience “a feeling of death on the ship” (104:48).
• Quote: “The captain had been killed and his body was in the freezer. You can imagine the mood on that ship.” (104:48)
• Michael planned an escape by leaping into shark-infested waters but was recaptured (114:52).

Enduring, Coping, and Mental Survival

• Michael wrote fiction in hidden notebooks, developing the draft of a novel that sustained him (127:26).
• Radio (especially BBC World Service and, memorably, Vatican Radio) was a crucial lifeline; a homily about forgiveness by Pope Francis changed his mindset in the latter stages (131:49).
• Quote: “I heard the Pope…and I decided to just approach it in a completely different way: I'll forgive my guards.” — Michael (131:49)
• The philosophy of detaching from hope became essential: “I stopped trying to hope...I had to detach from hope like that.” (130:51, 137:55)

Release, Re-Entry, and Recovery

• After 2 years and 8 months, Michael was released following a $1.6 million ransom funded by friends, family, and supporters (137:17).
• His release was marked by profound disbelief and cautious optimism, only trusting his freedom once he spoke to his mother from a car away from the pirates (142:37).
• Initial reentry into the world was physically and emotionally taxing, with overwhelming social encounters and PTSD-like symptoms. Surfing became a form of therapy (155:58).
• Quote: “When I was in a room full of people who I loved and who loved me…I had so much to process that I wasn’t good at it anymore.” — Michael (152:52)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "No, the first thing I thought was...my family—nobody’s gonna know what happened or how I am. It’s going to be horrible." — Michael (57:47)
• “Before I called on the phone, they said, you have to demand $20 million or we’ll start to starve you in 24 hours...I said, that’s insane.” — Michael (79:06)
• "The captain had been killed and his body was in the freezer." — Michael (104:48)
• "I heard the Pope…and I decided to just approach it in a completely different way: I'll forgive my guards." — Michael (131:49)
• "I stopped trying to hope. So that's a different thing." — Michael (130:51)
• “When I was in a room full of people who I loved and who loved me…I had so much to process that I wasn’t good at it anymore.” — Michael (152:52)
• "Men, if you have a beer for somebody who’s been—for a man who’s been a hostage, you’re not going to go wrong." — Michael (150:13)
• "It was an example of increasing chaos in the world...all of a sudden we have to deal with pirates again. Come on." — Michael (16:01)
• "He acted like he was the most important shit. A mob boss acting like he’s important. Yeah, come on.” — Michael (38:57)

Important Episode Timestamps

• Michael’s early journalism & German piracy trial: 03:37–05:31
• Historical origins of Somali piracy: 05:46–17:47
• Travel, security, and clan structures in Somalia: 33:58–36:41
• Interview with a pirate boss in Hobyo: 36:41–39:08
• The abduction & immediate aftermath: 57:40–62:11
• Life/day-to-day as a hostage: 85:17–85:36
• First negotiations & outrageous ransom demand: 79:06–80:46
• Captivity on the ship, escape attempt: 96:49–117:35
• Forgiveness and psychological survival—Pope Francis homily: 131:49–133:50
• Release, transition home and surf therapy: 137:17–155:58

Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, intense, and darkly laced with Michael’s wry humor and unflinching honesty. Julian Dorey’s approach is both curious and empathetic, letting space for digressions but always looping the thread back to the crux of Michael’s harrowing experience.

Final Reflections

Michael’s story transcends the sensationalism of a “hostage drama,” painting a deeply human portrait of despair, adaptation, radical acceptance, and recovery. The episode also illuminates the forces that fuel piracy, the limits of international law, and the complex ethics of ransom and survival. Michael’s journey from ordeal to healing—and his perspective on forgiving captors—offers a rare, sobering insight into human endurance.

Further Reading

• Michael Scott Moore’s memoir: The Desert and the Sea (linked in ep.)
• Look out for his upcoming novel on drone warfare and his planned exploration of trauma and recovery across cultures.