Kenyan Man Jailed for Life in US Over Plot to Crash Hijacked Plane Into Atlanta Building

A Kenyan man has been sentenced to two life terms in the United States after being convicted of plotting to hijack a passenger aircraft and crash it into a major building in Atlanta.

Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, was sentenced on Tuesday by a federal judge in New York following his conviction in November on six terrorism-related charges. These included conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy, conspiracy to murder US nationals, and providing material support to al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based armed group linked to al-Qaeda. The court ordered that he remain under lifetime supervision should he ever be released.

According to court records, Abdullah joined al-Shabaab in 2015 and was later sent to the Philippines to receive flight training. Between 2017 and 2019, he completed most of the requirements for a commercial pilot’s licence, with the training paid for by the group. Prosecutors said the training was intended to enable an attack using a hijacked aircraft rather than for civilian aviation.

Investigators said Abdullah studied airline security measures, cockpit access procedures, and potential targets. He focused on Delta Air Lines flights and prominent sites in Atlanta, including the 55-storey Bank of America Plaza. He also researched visa options to enter the United States and tested whether knives could be carried onto aircraft. US authorities said Abdullah admitted he expected people to be killed and was prepared to die during the attack.

Abdullah was arrested in the Philippines in July 2019 following a joint investigation involving authorities from the United States, Kenya, and the Philippines. He was extradited to the United States in 2020 to stand trial.

The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the US Department of Justice, Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Nairobi, and Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Officials said the case demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts.

The US Assistant Attorney General for National Security said the plot was intended to replicate the deadliest terrorist attack in US history and that the sentence reflected the seriousness of the crimes. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York said Abdullah had shown a clear willingness to carry out the attack and die in the process.

Al-Shabaab was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in 2008 and has carried out attacks in Somalia and neighbouring countries. In recent years, the group has sought to plan and support operations beyond East Africa, including against Western targets.