Kenyan sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting 9/11-style attack in the US
Kenyan sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting 9/11-style attack in the US
A Kenyan national has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States after being convicted of plotting a terrorist attack modeled on the September 11, 2001 atrocities.
In a statement on Monday, December 22, the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York said the sentence was handed down to 35-year-old Cholo Abdi Abdullah by US District Judge Analisa Torres following his conviction on multiple terrorism-related charges.
According to the statement, Abdullah was found guilty after a jury trial that concluded on November 4, 2024.
US Attorney Jay Clayton said the court heard evidence showing Abdullah was a trained al-Shabaab operative who deliberately set out to replicate the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history by exploiting commercial aviation.
“Cholo Abdi Abdullah was a highly trained al-Shabaab operative who was dedicated to recreating the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks on behalf of a vicious terrorist organization.
“Abdullah pursued his commercial pilot license at a flight school in the Philippines while conducting extensive attack planning on how to hijack a commercial plane and crash it into a building in America,” he said.
Clayton added that Abdullah was committed to carrying out the attack, even if it meant his own death, and praised investigators and prosecutors for stopping the plot before it could be executed.
“As he later admitted to the FBI, he was fully prepared to die in his terrorist attack. I commend the years of outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the career prosecutors of this Office who disrupted Abdullah’s murderous plot and brought him to face justice in a U.S. court. He will now spend life behind bars, where he will not be able to harm innocent Americans,” he added.
On his part, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said the sentence reflected both the seriousness of the plot and the effectiveness of U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
“Today, justice has been served. Abdullah, an al-Shabaab terrorist, sought to replicate the most horrific terrorist attack in our history, as he prepared to hijack a commercial airliner to take down a building on U.S. soil.
“We thwarted this plot due to the relentless efforts of U.S. law enforcement and thereby likely saved many innocent lives. His life sentence is a powerful reminder that those who plot attacks against the United States will be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he stated.
According to court documents, Abdullah joined al-Shabaab in 2015 and spent about a year moving between safehouses in Somalia.
During this period, he worked with senior members of the group and received military-style training, including instruction on firing AK-47 assault rifles and constructing explosives.
He was later selected by high-ranking operatives for a more ambitious international plot aimed at causing mass casualties.
Prosecutors said Abdullah agreed to train as a commercial airline pilot so he could eventually hijack an aircraft and use it as a weapon in the United States.
Between October 2017 and July 2019, he attended a flight school in the Philippines, logging hundreds of hours of training toward private and commercial pilot licenses.
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According to authorities, his tuition and living expenses were financed by al-Shabaab through funds raised via extortion networks in Somalia.
During his training, Abdullah completed extensive coursework, simulator sessions, hands-on flight instruction, and written examinations.
At the time of his arrest in July 2019, authorities said he had completed all but one requirement for his commercial pilot license and was close to finishing the instrument rating needed to work for a major airline.
After his arrest by Philippine authorities and subsequent transfer to US custody in December 2020, Abdullah admitted to FBI agents that he was training as a pilot on behalf of al-Shabaab to carry out a hijacking.
Investigators said he researched US transit visas, tested whether a knife could be carried onto an aircraft, and acknowledged that others would likely be killed or injured during the attack.
He also admitted that he expected to die.
Additionally, prosecutors said Abdullah repeatedly searched online for information about cockpit doors, airline security procedures, air marshals, and job requirements for airline pilots.
He also reviewed articles on cockpit access and firearms carried by pilots.
Evidence presented at trial also showed that Abdullah regularly sent detailed progress reports to his al-Shabaab handler.
In these reports, he described taking flights to observe cockpit door visibility, analyzing past hijacking attempts, and studying the tactics used during the September 11 attacks.
Abdullah was arrested before completing his training or carrying out the final stages of the plot.
On November 4, 2024, a jury found him guilty on six counts, including providing and conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiring to murder US nationals, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, conspiring to destroy aircraft, and conspiring to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries.
Several of the counts carried maximum sentences of life imprisonment, which Judge Torres ultimately imposed.
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