Cholo Abdi Abdullah was transported from the Phillippines to the United States earlier this week to face six counts of terrorism-related charges. The alleged operative of the foreign terrorist organization al Shabaab faces a number of accusations, including conspiring to hijack an aircraft in order to carry a 9/11-style attack in the United States.

Abdullah was arrested in July 2019 in the Philippines on local charges and was deported to the U.S. to face his charges. Police found a pistol, a homemade bomb, and a hand grenade when arresting the Kenyan native.

"As alleged, Cholo Abdi Abdullah, as part of a terrorist plot directed by senior al Shabaab leaders, obtained pilot training in the Philippines in preparation for seeking to hijack a commercial aircraft and crash it into a building in the United States," said Audrey Strauss, Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney. "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."

Federal and New York law enforcement commended the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force for preventing the attack. According to the indictment, Abdullah was working for the terrorist organization Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, commonly known as "al Shabaab," which serves as al Qaeda's principal wing in East Africa. The organization is responsible for numerous deadly terrorist attacks that have claimed American lives.

Acting under the direction of a senior al Shabaab commander, Abdullah traveled to the Philippines in 2016 and enrolled in a flight school. While obtaining his pilot's license, he researched security on commercial airliners, information about the tallest building in a major U.S. city, and how to obtain an American visa.

The 30-year-old suspect is charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, conspiring to murder U.S. nationals, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, conspiring to destroy aircraft, and conspiring to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Cholo Abdi Abdullah faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Source: Breaking911