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The Guardian (Long Read) ·For the curious

I Was Kidnapped and Held Hostage for 977 Days. Could I Forgive My Captors?

by Michael Scott Moore

Published 2026-10-13 04:00:14+00:00

When does forgiving the men holding you hostage become the only way to free yourself?

0:00 / 34:33 · Narrator Algieba

Context

Michael Scott Moore spent nearly three years on a sweat-soaked mattress in Somalia, held hostage by armed pirates. In this piece from 13 October 2026, he writes about what happens after the ransom is paid and the kidnappers finally end up in American courtrooms. The central question is what a person should do with the crushing rage that follows an ordeal like this. Moore separates the pop psychology of Stockholm syndrome from the actual mechanics of mercy, suggesting that choosing to forgive an enemy might be the only reliable way to reclaim a hijacked mind.

Show notes

An account of surviving 977 days as a hostage to Somali pirates, and the author's decision to help the FBI lure his captors to the United States. The narrative tracks the federal trials of three men involved in the kidnapping. It measures the strict sentences of the American justice system against the author's own process of forgiveness, defining the difference between Stockholm syndrome and a conscious resolution to abandon vengeance.

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