BREAKING: Kenyan member of al-Shabab is indicted for new 9/11 plot to fly hijacked airliner into US skyscraper after he trained as a pilot in the Philippines and was caught with a bomb and gun
- Cholo Abdi Abdullah allegedly spent years training to carry out a 9/11-style attack; he will appear in a New York court later Wednesday
A Kenyan member of al-Shabab stands accused of plotting to fly an airliner into a United States’ skyscraper after he trained as a pilot in the Philippines.
Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 30, spent years training to carry out a 9/11-style attack, prosecutors say. He will appear in a New York court later Wednesday.
He said to have been arrested with a bomb and gun, Rappler.com reports.
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: ‘This chilling callback to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, is a stark reminder that terrorist groups like al Shabaab remain committed to killing U.S. citizens and attacking the United States.’
Abdullah, who has been in custody since last year, took orders from an al-Shabab commander responsible for the hotel attack in Nairobi in 2019, prosecutors said.
He researched ways to enter the US and how to hijack a plane, they add.
Abdullah faces multiple charges and if convicted 20 years to life in prison.