- Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a 34-year-old Kenyan national and al-Shabaab operative, was sentenced on December 22, 2025, to two consecutive life terms plus lifetime supervised release following his November 2024 conviction on six terrorism-related charges, including conspiring to murder U.S. nationals and commit aircraft piracy.
- Abdullah plotted with al-Shabaab to hijack a commercial airliner and carry out a 9/11-style attack targeting U.S. high-rise buildings, including Atlanta’s Bank of America Plaza.
- From 2017 to 2019, al-Shabaab funded Abdullah’s pilot training in the Philippines, where he logged flight hours and studied cockpit security, hijacking tactics, and U.S. visa requirements. The plot was disrupted in July 2019 when Philippine authorities arrested Abdullah, who was extradited to the United States in 2020. Read More
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