NEW YORK, December 24, 2025 (Somalia Tribune) – A Kenyan national has been sentenced to life in prison after a US court found him guilty of plotting a mass-casualty attack in the United States on behalf of the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.
On Monday, a federal judge handed down two consecutive life sentences to Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, along with lifetime supervised release. Prosecutors said Abdullah planned to hijack a commercial passenger jet and crash it into Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper, the 55-storey Bank of America Plaza.
Abdullah was convicted last year by a jury in Manhattan on six terrorism-related charges. The counts included conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, plotting to kill US nationals abroad, aircraft piracy, and planning cross-border acts of terrorism.
According to court filings, Abdullah joined Al-Shabaab in 2015 and received extensive training from the group. Prosecutors detailed instruction in explosives, surveillance techniques, and covert operations, describing him as a committed operative willing to die in an attack.
Investigators said the plot hinged on Abdullah becoming a licensed commercial pilot. In 2017, he moved to the Philippines to attend flight school, where authorities say he conducted detailed research into airline security systems, cockpit access, and potential high-profile targets inside the United States.
By early 2019, prosecutors said Abdullah had focused his online searches on Delta Air Lines flights and Atlanta’s skyline, zeroing in on the Bank of America Plaza as a primary target.
He was arrested later that year in the Philippines on local charges, just short of completing the requirements for a commercial pilot’s licence. In 2020, he was transferred into US custody to face terrorism charges.
US Attorney Jay Clayton described Abdullah as a “highly trained Al-Shabaab operative” who posed a serious threat to national security.
During his trial, Abdullah chose to represent himself. He declined to give an opening statement and asked few questions of witnesses, a move that drew attention throughout the proceedings.
Al-Shabaab, which the United States designated a foreign terrorist organisation in 2008, has waged a violent insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years. While its attacks have largely focused on Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa, US officials say the group has long sought to strike targets beyond the region.
