Kenyan man charged with alleged plot to carry out another 9/11 style attack – NBC New York

A Kenyan man trained for years in the Philippines to carry out a 9/11 style attack on the United States, through a flight school and research methods of entering the country and hijacking a plane, Federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Cholo Abdi Abdullah was reportedly part of an al-Shabaab unit and took orders directly from an African terror group commander – someone previously responsible for leading a deadly 2019 hotel attack in Nairobi, prosecutors said.

“This chilling recall to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, is a strong reminder that terrorist groups such as Al Shabaab remain committed to killing American civilians and attacking the United States,” said Manhattan Attorney Audrey Strauss.

Abdullah, 30, who has been in custody since last year, is expected to appear in federal court in New York later Wednesday. He faces multiple criminal counts related to his alleged plot and support for the terror group, with a possible sentence of 20 years to life.

Officials say he was investigating U.S. skyscrapers as possible targets, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether any New York landmarks were on his list.

Philippine news outlets reported extensively of his arrest in July 2019, although details of the alleged plot were not known at the time. According to the Rappler website, Abdullah had a bomb and bomb-making equipment when he was arrested.

“Nearly 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there are those who remain determined to carry out terrorist attacks against US citizens. Abdullah, we claim, is one of them, “FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney said in a statement on the charges.” He obtained a pilot’s license abroad and learned how to hijack a plane with the aim of a massive accident within our borders. “