Similar to 9/11… Terrorist Plot Targeting U.S. Interests Uncovered
A U.S. federal jury has convicted a member of the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab for conspiring to kill Americans in an attack reminiscent of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The terrorist, Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, was charged in New York with six counts, including conspiracy to support the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, also known as Al-Shabaab, and conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals.
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated in a press release shared by the German news agency:
“The jury concluded that Cholo Abdi Abdullah, an operative of the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization, conspired to kill Americans in a terrorist attack reminiscent of 9/11.”
He added:
“This conviction means Abdullah faces decades in prison for his crimes.”
After months of training in Somalia with AK-47 rifles and explosives, Abdullah spent additional months at a flight school in the Philippines training to obtain a commercial pilot’s license. He also researched methods to target skyscrapers in U.S. cities, according to the indictment and evidence presented during the trial. Abdullah learned how to acquire permits to enter the U.S. and how to open a cockpit door from the outside.
His research mirrored the training undertaken by Al-Qaeda operatives who hijacked four U.S. passenger planes in 2001, crashing them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in New York, whose office prosecuted Abdullah, stated:
“He is responsible for attempting to replicate one of the most heinous acts of terrorism in history.”
Williams added:
“Abdullah relentlessly pursued his goals, nearing the completion of a commercial pilot’s license while intensively planning the attack, including learning how to breach an airplane cockpit door.”
Abdullah’s sentencing is scheduled for March 10, 2025. He faces a maximum life sentence for conspiring to commit transnational terrorist acts and a maximum of 20 years for other charges.
Founded in 2006, Al-Shabaab pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2010. The group has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks against U.S. targets since 2019.
