Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Cholo Abdi Abdullah has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison after being convicted of multiple terrorism-related offenses, including conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and plotting to commit a 9/11-style attack on behalf of al-Shabaab. The sentencing follows Abdullah’s conviction by a jury on November 4, 2024.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated, “Today, justice has been served. Abdullah, an al-Shabaab terrorist, sought to replicate the most horrific terrorist attack in our history, as he prepared to hijack a commercial airliner to take down a building on U.S. soil. We thwarted this plot due to the relentless efforts of U.S. law enforcement and thereby likely saved many innocent lives. His life sentence is a powerful reminder that those who plot attacks against the United States will be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commented on Abdullah’s background and intent: “Cholo Abdi Abdullah was a highly trained al-Shabaab operative who was dedicated to recreating the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks on behalf of a vicious terrorist organization. Abdullah pursued his commercial pilot license at a flight school in the Philippines while conducting extensive attack planning on how to hijack a commercial plane and crash it into a building in America. As he later admitted to the FBI, he was fully prepared to die in his terrorist attack. I commend the years of outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the career prosecutors of this Office who disrupted Abdullah’s murderous plot and brought him to face justice in a U.S. court. He will now spend [decades] behind bars, where he will not be able to harm innocent Americans.”
Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI, said: “Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist and trained pilot Cholo Abdullah was justly punished today for his plotting to commit a 9/11-style terrorist attack. This case serves as reminder individuals still wish to inflict violence upon our country in the name of terrorism. The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force remains steadfast in its relentless determination to protect the American people from terrorists and their heinous desires.”
According to court documents presented at trial, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (al-Shabaab) is an al Qaeda-affiliated group based primarily in Somalia but active across East Africa since its formation. The group has carried out violent acts including assassinations and suicide bombings targeting civilians with goals aligned with broader objectives set by al Qaeda.
The U.S designated al-Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act in February 2008.
Abdullah joined al-Shabaab around 2015 where he received military training before being recruited for an international aviation plot designed after September 11 attacks; this included enrolling at flight school in the Philippines between October 2017 and July 2019 using funds provided by al-Shabaab through its extortion system.
While attending flight school—where he completed nearly all requirements for commercial licensing—Abdullah researched ways into entering America legally via transit visas, methods for bringing weapons onto aircrafts undetected, cockpit security measures such as reinforced doors post-9/11, airline hiring practices, security presence onboard flights including air marshals’ deployment frequency, among other operational details related directly or indirectly toward carrying out an aerial terror attack.
He maintained communication with senior operatives throughout his training period by submitting progress reports detailing both academic advancement as well as tactical observations intended for use during hijacking attempts; these included lessons drawn from past incidents like Ethiopian Airlines Flight hijacking.
Before completing pilot certification or executing any aspect of his plan within U.S territory or elsewhere abroad Abdallah was arrested by Philippine authorities July 2019 then extradited into American custody December following year.
A federal jury found him guilty across six counts ranging from providing material support/conspiring with FTOs up through murder conspiracy against Americans abroad plus conspiracies involving aircraft piracy/destruction alongside cross-border terrorism plots—all carrying significant statutory penalties up-to mandatory life imprisonment sentences which were imposed during today’s proceedings along with lifetime supervised release conditions post-incarceration.
Multiple agencies collaborated over several years investigating/prosecuting this case including units within Department Justice/FBI both domestically/internationally alongside partners such as New York City Police Department/Kenyan Directorate Criminal Investigations/Philippine National Police among others cited for critical assistance throughout investigation/trial process.
