Muslim Who Planned a “9/11 Style” Attack on Atlanta’s Tallest Building Sentenced to Two Life Sentences

A federal jury has sentenced Kenyan national Cholo Abdi Abdullah to two consecutive life terms for plotting a 9/11-style terrorist attack on the United States on behalf of al-Shabaab. Prosecutors proved that Abdullah spent years training as a commercial pilot—financed by the terror group—so he could hijack an airliner and crash it into a U.S. building. Court records show he researched Delta flights, airline security, cockpit access, and Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper, the Bank of America Plaza, as a potential target. Abdullah trained in Somalia with al-Shabaab before attending flight school in the Philippines, where he nearly completed commercial pilot certification. After his arrest in 2019, he admitted to investigators that he expected mass casualties and his own death in the attack.

And remember, Federal counterterrorism sources discovered that millions of stolen taxpayer funds—tied to members of Minnesota’s large Somali community and the Democrat government—have been funneled back to Somalia, ultimately reaching the terror group Al-Shabaab.

As Pope Benedict reminded us in his Regensberg address when he quoted the 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologos: “He said, I quote, `Show me just what (Islamic Prophet) Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.’”

Related: ‘100% RESPONSIBLE’: Hundreds of DHS Employees Accuse Tim Walz of Covering Up Somali-Linked Billion Dollar Fraud That Funded Al-Shabaab

Funder of Islamic Terror Group Al-Shabaab Is the Minnesota Taxpayer

“Cholo Abdi Abdullah was a highly trained al-Shabaab operative who was dedicated to recreating the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks on behalf of a vicious terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Abdullah pursued his commercial pilot license at a flight school in the Philippines while conducting extensive attack planning on how to hijack a commercial plane and crash it into a building in America. As he later admitted to the FBI, he was fully prepared to die in his terrorist attack.”

“Today, justice has been served,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Abdullah, an al-Shabaab terrorist, sought to replicate the most horrific terrorist attack in our history, as he prepared to hijack a commercial airliner to take down a building on U.S. soil. We thwarted this plot due to the relentless efforts of U.S. law enforcement and thereby likely saved many innocent lives. His life sentence is a powerful reminder that those who plot attacks against the United States will be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist and trained pilot Cholo Abdullah was justly punished today for his plotting to commit a 9/11-style terrorist attack,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “This case serves as reminder individuals still wish to inflict violence upon our country in the name of the terrorism. The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force remains steadfast in its relentless determination to protect the American people from terrorists and their heinous desires.”

A man was caught planning a “9/11 style” attack on Atlanta’s tallest building.

Cholo Abdi Abdullah is a member of the extremist group al‑Shabaab and was sentenced to two life terms on December 22. pic.twitter.com/wtOSP0Vrm4

— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) December 23, 2025

Man who targeted Atlanta landmark in 9/11-style terror plot sentenced to life

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital, December 22, 2025:

The Brief
Prosecutors say Abdullah researched Delta flights and Atlanta’s tallest building while planning a 9/11-style aircraft attack.
Court records show he trained as a pilot for al-Shabaab to hijack a commercial plane and crash it into a U.S. building.
A federal jury convicted him on six terrorism-related counts, resulting in two consecutive life sentences.

WASHINGTON – A Kenyan man who federal prosecutors say researched Delta flights and Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper as part of a 9/11-style terror plot has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.

Federal authorities said Abdullah was training to become a commercial airline pilot so he could carry out a mass-casualty attack on U.S. soil.

According to court documents and trial evidence, Abdullah joined al-Shabaab in 2015 and spent about a year in Somalia receiving military-style training, including firearms and explosives instruction. Senior operatives later recruited him for a larger international plot that involved training as a pilot so he could hijack a plane and crash it into a U.S. building.

Cholo Abdi Abdullah is shown during flight training in the Philippines, where prosecutors say he was preparing to become a commercial pilot as part of a foiled 9/11-style terror plot; flight instructors have been blurred in the images. (US Department of Justice)

From October 2017 through July 2019, Abdullah attended a flight school in the Philippines, completing hundreds of hours of classroom instruction, simulator work and flight training toward commercial pilot certification. Prosecutors said his tuition was financed by al-Shabaab, which raises money through extortion in Somalia.

At the time of his arrest in the Philippines in July 2019, Abdullah had completed nearly all the requirements for a commercial pilot license and was close to finishing the instrument rating needed to fly for a major airline.

After his arrest, Abdullah admitted to FBI agents that he was training to become a pilot on behalf of al-Shabaab so he could hijack a plane. Investigators said he researched cockpit doors, airline security, transit visas, and the feasibility of bringing a knife onto an aircraft. He also admitted he expected others to be killed or injured and believed he would die in the attack.

In January 2019, prosecutors said Abdullah intensified his planning after being briefed by his al-Shabaab handler about a deadly attack on a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Two days later, he searched online for “Delta flights” and the “Tallest building in Atlanta,” focusing on the Bank of America Plaza as a potential target.

Throughout his flight training, Abdullah sent progress reports to his handler detailing his research, including observations from airline flights about cockpit door visibility and reviews of post-Sept. 11 hijacking attempts. In one report, he wrote that “for a very successful mission, we need a pilot in the cockpit (which means I should apply for the airlines).”

Continued….