Federal authorities have unveiled a charge accusing a Kenyan man of trying to carry out a 9/11-style attack on the United States on behalf of the terrorist organization al-Shabab. Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 30, who was arrested in the Philippines in 2019, was transferred to US custody on Tuesday on charges of plotting to hijack a plane and slam it into a building.
Abdullah pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Patt Milton, senior investigator at CBS News. He was arraigned by video at Manhattan Federal Courthouse and is being held without bail.
Prosecutors said Abdullah had received flight training in the Philippines and obtained a pilot’s license in preparation for the attack.
“This case, which involved a conspiracy to use an aircraft to kill innocent victims, reminds us of the deadly threat that radical Islamic terrorists pose to our nation,” said John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, in a statement.
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Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Drew Strauss called it a “chilling call back to the September 11, 2001, horrific attacks.”
Prosecutors say Abdullah began planning the attack in 2016 at the behest of an al-Shabab commander who was also involved in a plot to carry out a deadly attack on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2019.
The State Department has designated the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab as a foreign terrorist organization linked to al-Qaeda.
He also researched possible hijacking methods and how to obtain a US visa.
U.S. officials who can speak in favor of Abdullah The name of the attorney in is not immediately available.
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