( CNN ) -- Sentencing was delayed Tuesday for a Somali pirate who prosecutors say led the attack on a U.S. vessel off the coast of Africa last year . The sentencing hearing for Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse was adjourned until a later date . No reason was immediately provided by the court or prosecutors for the delay . Muse has pleaded guilty to charges he hijacked the ship and kidnapped its captain . Prosecutors say Muse acted as the ringleader when he and three other men seized the U.S-flagged Maersk Alabama by force about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia on April 8 , 2009 . Once on board , the armed men demanded the ship be stopped , then took a lifeboat and held the captain of the ship , Richard Phillips , hostage on it . When he entered his plea on May 18 , Muse apologized for his actions and blamed the incident on the Somali government . `` What we did was wrong . I am very sorry for all of this , '' Muse said in a soft voice . `` All of this happened because of the government in Somalia . '' In addition to the Maersk Alabama , Muse was charged with participating in the hijacking of two other vessels in late March and early April of 2009 . Muse told the court that he and the three other men agreed to `` capture any ship that came by . '' He added that he did not recognize the U.S. flag on the Maersk Alabama . Muse and his cohorts held Philips hostage for four days on the lifeboat . The USS Bainbridge , a U.S. Navy destroyer , came to the assistance of the vessel , and in radio communications , the pirates threatened to kill Phillips if they were not guaranteed safe passage away from the scene , authorities have said . Four days after the hijacking began , Muse boarded the Bainbridge and demanded safe passage for himself and the others in exchange for Phillips ' release , according to a criminal complaint . While he was away from the lifeboat , Navy SEAL snipers shot and killed the three remaining pirates , authorities said . Muse was then taken into custody . Muse could receive a maximum sentence of almost 34 years behind bars . CNN 's Hussein Saddique and Cheryl Robinson contributed to this report .
Note : No reason given for postponement . Police say Muse was the ringleader . Muse apologized for his actions and blamed the incident on the Somali government . He could face a maximum sentence of almost 34 years .