Current:Home > MarketsKenyan man is convicted of plotting a 9/11-style attack on the US-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Kenyan man is convicted of plotting a 9/11-style attack on the US
lotradecoin affiliate program details View Date:2024-12-26 01:42:26
NEW YORK (AP) — A Kenyan man was convicted Monday of plotting a 9/11-style attack on a U.S. building on behalf of the terrorist organization al-Shabab.
A federal jury in Manhattan found Cholo Abdi Abdullah guilty on all six counts he faced for conspiring to hijack an aircraft and slam it into a building, according to court records.
He’s due to be sentenced next March and faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.
Abdullah represented himself during the trial, which opened last week. He declined to give an opening statement and did not actively participate in questioning witnesses.
In court papers filed ahead of the trial, prosecutors said Abdullah intended to “merely sit passively during the trial, not oppose the prosecution and whatever the outcome, he would accept the outcome because he does not believe that this is a legitimate system.”
Lawyers appointed to assist Abdullah in his self-defense didn’t respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
Federal prosecutors, who rested their case Thursday, said Abdullah plotted the attack for four years, undergoing extensive training in explosives and how to operate in secret and avoid detection.
He then moved to the Philippines in 2017 where he began training as a commercial pilot.
Abdullah was almost finished with his two-year pilot training when he was arrested in 2019 on local charges.
He was transferred the following year to U.S. law enforcement authorities, who charged him with terrorism related crimes.
Prosecutors said Abdullah also researched how to breach a cockpit door and information “about the tallest building in a major U.S. city” before he was caught.
The State Department in 2008 designated al-Shabab, which means “the youth” in Arabic, as a foreign terrorist organization. The militant group is an al-Qaida affiliate that has fought to establish an Islamic state in Somalia based on Shariah law.
veryGood! (73)
Related
- Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey announce engagement with new photos
- Trump's push to block GA probe into 2020 election rejected, costly Ukraine gains: 5 Things podcast
- Chatbots sometimes make things up. Not everyone thinks AI’s hallucination problem is fixable
- Virginia Republicans offer concession on tax plan as budget stalemate drags on
- A teen was falling asleep during a courtroom field trip. She ended up in cuffs and jail clothes
- The Mets are trading 3-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to the Astros, AP source says
- What is the Tau fruit fly? Part of LA County under quarantine after invasive species found
- U.S. opens investigation into steering complaints from Tesla drivers
- Sofía Vergara Responds After Joe Manganiello Says Her Reason for Divorce Is “Not True”
- Architect accused in Gilgo Beach serial killings is due back in court
Ranking
- Hurricane Ernesto aims for Bermuda after leaving many in Puerto Rico without power or water
- Suzanne Somers reveals she recently battled breast cancer again
- Bills' Damar Hamlin clears 'super big hurdle' in first padded practice since cardiac arrest
- What Euphoria—And Hollywood—Lost With Angus Cloud's Death
- Pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked road near Sea-Tac Airport to have charges dropped
- Firefighters contain a quarter of massive California-Nevada wildfire
- Suzanne Somers reveals she recently battled breast cancer again
- Jason Aldean links 'Try That In A Small Town' to Boston Marathon bombing at concert
Recommendation
-
State, local officials failed 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died after abuse, lawsuits say
-
What a Team: Inside Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird's Kick-Ass Romance
-
'Fairly shocking': Secret medical lab in California stored bioengineered mice laden with COVID
-
'Big Brother' announces Season 25 cast: Meet the new crew of houseguests
-
Walmart boosts its outlook for 2024 with bargains proving a powerful lure for the inflation weary
-
Judge denies motion to dismiss charges against 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez
-
Maine’s biggest newspaper group is now a nonprofit under the National Trust for Local News
-
Brightly flashing ‘X’ sign removed from the San Francisco building that was Twitter’s headquarters