The sentence of Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a citizen of Kenya who was convicted of consigning a 9/11 style attack against the United States, was suspended on Monday after asking for new lawyers.
“I was thinking of having new lawyers that will represent me,” said Abdullah, who represented himself during the trial last year that ended with him being convicted of the six federal positions.
The judge had appointed the lawyer waiting, but Abdullah said he did not want them to represent him in the sentence.
“I don’t want these two lawyers to represent me. I want to start over,” said Abdullah, who appeared in a beige prison on a brilliant orange shirt and spoke slowly and gently in response to several of the judge’s questions.
Judge Analisa Torres closed the Court Chamber for a private conference with Abdullah. When the court resumed, Torres announced that he would appoint new lawyers and postpone the sentence to April 7.
Federal prosecutors have asked the court to imprison Abdullah for life.
“The Defundant’s terrorism crimes, combined with His spectialized, al-Shabab Financed Pilot Skills, which he will have for the rest of his life, Underscore that he poses to real and ongoing threat to innocent lives around the world. Highly Trained Terrorist Who Is Readily Capable of Hijacking A Commercial Aircraft to Commit A Terrorist Act, “Federal Prosecutors Wrote In a sentencing memorandum. “The Police frustrated the defendant’s plot shortly before obtaining the license of their commercial pilot, centimeters to bring their murderous plans to reality.”
Kenya’s National, Cholo Abdi Abdullah, is seen in a photographic photo of his arrest in July 2019 in the Philippines published by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group
Abdullah wanted to fly a plane to the “highest buildings” in Atlanta, including the 55-story Bank of America square, on behalf of the Al-Shabab terrorist group, federal prosecutors said.
As described by federal prosecutors, Abdullah sought to “carry out a chilling plot to kidnap a commercial plane, place it in a building in the United States and recreate the horrible terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 of Al Qaeda.”
First he trained with Al-Shabab for months in Somalia, learned to shoot assault rifles AK-47 and make mortal explosives, prosecutors said. Then, he enrolled in a flight school in the Philippines and dedicated hundreds of hours that won the necessary flight certifications to fly large commercial planes, prosecutors said.
“In total, the defendant assured his private pilot license and was terribly close to obtaining his commercial pilot license just before being arrested,” prosecutors said.
Abdullah joined Al-Shabab in 2015 after being more religious and listening to Anwar al-Awlaki’s teachings. Facebook messages show regular communication between group members regarding training, sentences, planning attacks, money and plans for Abdullah to attend the flight school, prosecutors said.
After living in a safe house and receiving training for three months, Abdullah was sent to the flight school in the Philippines. While he was out, some members of his safe house carried out a bombing and shots in the Dusitd2 complex in Nairobi, Kenya, according to federal prosecutors.
Abdullah was arrested by officials in the Philippines in July 2019. During his interrogation, he said he told his mother that he had joined Al-Shababaab and that she alerted the authorities, prosecutors said. Abdullah cooperated with the FBI, providing details of who was communicating with how he was trained and other information.
