Tuesday November 5, 2024
FILE - Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, (Left) is shown in a booking photo after being found guilty on all six counts related to his plot for a 9/11-style attack by a federal jury in Manhattan on Monday. (Right) The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, which hears cases from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, is pictured in the background.
New York City, NY (HOL) — Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a 34-year-old Kenyan national and member of the Somali-based militant group Al Shabaab, was found guilty by a federal jury in New York of plotting a September 11-style terrorist attack.
Abdullah was arrested in the Philippines in July 2019 and was brought to the United States in December 2020.
Attorney General Merrick Garland remarked, "The jury found that Cholo Abdi Abdullah conspired to murder Americans in a terrorist attack reminiscent of the September 11 attack on our country." He said that Abdullah's conviction ensures a lengthy prison term for his crimes, reinforcing the government's commitment to thwarting domestic terrorism.
Evidence presented during the trial detailed Abdullah's extensive training in Somalia, where he learned to use AK-47 rifles and explosives. Following this training, he relocated to the Philippines, enrolling in flight school in pursuit of a commercial pilot license. His preparations included meticulous research on potential U.S. targets, particularly focusing on tall buildings, and acquiring knowledge on how to access airplane cockpits—actions that mirrored the tactics employed by al Qaeda operatives during the 2001 attacks.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams characterized Abdullah as "responsible for trying to replicate one of history's most heinous acts of terrorism." He noted that Abdullah was nearing the completion of his pilot training while engaging in thorough attack planning, underscoring a dangerous commitment to his violent ambitions that posed a severe threat to national security.
Al Shabaab, which has sworn allegiance to al Qaeda, has orchestrated numerous attacks, particularly in response to U.S. foreign policy decisions, including the controversial relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. The decision has spurred a series of violent retaliatory attacks, including the 2019 hotel assault in Nairobi, which resulted in 21 deaths, and attacks on U.S. military facilities in Somalia and Kenya.
Scheduled for sentencing on March 10, Abdullah faces a maximum life sentence for conspiracy to commit terrorism across national borders, alongside substantial prison time for other related charges.