Somali pirate who attacked US ship 'should serve 34 years'

US federal prosecutors have asked a judge in New York City to sentence a Somali pirate to nearly 34 years in prison for an attack on a US-flagged ship off the coast of Africa.

Prosecutors said in a court filing that Abdiwali Abdigadir Muse led attacks on ships in the Indian Ocean for more than a month in 2009.

They say he threatened to chop up one seaman and terrorised others at gunpoint.

Muse was captured in the failed hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.

He was among the pirates who held captain Richard Phillips hostage for days before Navy sharpshooters killed his accomplices.

Muse’s lawyers have asked the judge to be lenient. They say he never intended to hurt anyone.

Sentencing is scheduled for next week.