US EditionKenyan man sentenced after planning 9/11-style terrorist attack on Atlanta
Cholo Abdi Abdullah, trained by al-Shabaab and convicted in 2024, was sentenced to two life terms for plotting to hijack a plane and crash it into Atlanta’s tallest building.
- On Monday, Cholo Abdi Abdullah, Kenyan national, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms after a November 4, 2024 jury conviction for conspiring to hijack a U.S. airliner.
- Prosecutors say he joined al-Shabaab and received military-style training before senior operatives recruited him for an international plot to replicate the September 11 attacks on U.S. soil.
- While training in the Philippines, he completed hundreds of flight training hours toward a commercial pilot license financed by al-Shabaab and researched `Delta flights` and the Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta.
- Authorities credit multinational cooperation for disrupting the plot through U.S., Kenyan and Philippine law enforcement and Abdullah’s transfer to U.S. custody in December 2020.
- Officials said the case highlights the persistent threat from international terrorist networks, linking Abdullah's plot to an al‑Qaeda‑led campaign including the January 2019 DusitD2 attack in Nairobi, DOJ and FBI leaders commented.
25 Articles
25 Articles
‘Fully Prepared To Die’: Terrorist Pilot Sentenced To Life For Plotting 9/11-Style Attack On U.S. Soil
A Kenyan national and operative for the terrorist organization al-Shabaab will spend the rest of his life in prison after a federal judge handed down two consecutive life sentences today for a plot to hijack a commercial airliner and crash it into a building in the United States. Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, was sentenced following […] ‘Fully Prepared To Die’: Terrorist Pilot Sentenced To Life For Plotting 9/11-Style Attack On U.S. Soil
NEW: Feds Foil Terrorist Plot Targeting Atlanta’s Tallest Building
A Kenyan national linked with a Somali terrorist organization was sentenced Tuesday in connection with a planned attack targeting Atlanta’s tallest building. Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in federal prison plus a lifetime of supervised release for his role in a foiled plot to hijack a commercial airliner and crash it into Atlanta’s tallest building, the Bank of America Plaza. The sentencing took place in a …
Kenyan Al-Shabaab Operative Sentenced to Life in U.S. for 9/11-Style Terror Plot
Nairobi -- A Kenyan national linked to the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabaab has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States for plotting a 9/11-style terrorist attack targeting American civilians.
Muslim Who Planned a “9/11 Style” Attack on Atlanta’s Tallest Building Sentenced to Two Life Sentences
A federal jury has sentenced Kenyan national Cholo Abdi Abdullah to two consecutive life terms for plotting a 9/11-style terrorist attack on the United States on behalf of al-Shabaab. Prosecutors proved that Abdullah spent years training as a commercial pilot—financed by the terror group—so he could hijack an airliner and crash it into a U.S. building. Court records show he researched Delta flights, airline security, cockpit access, and Atlanta’…
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