{"id":2524399,"date":"2025-12-23T16:15:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T21:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/member-of-somali-terrorist-cell-that-plotted-second-9-11-gets-unwelcome-surprise-from-trump-doj\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T16:19:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T21:19:40","slug":"member-of-somali-terrorist-cell-that-plotted-second-9-11-gets-unwelcome-surprise-from-trump-doj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/member-of-somali-terrorist-cell-that-plotted-second-9-11-gets-unwelcome-surprise-from-trump-doj\/","title":{"rendered":"Member of Somali Terrorist Cell That Plotted Second 9\/11 Gets Unwelcome Surprise from Trump DOJ"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmember-of-somali-terrorist-cell-that-plotted-second-9-11-gets-unwelcome-surprise-from-trump-doj%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2524399&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a Kenyan national who joined the al-Shabaab extremist group in 2015, was sentenced too two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2018-parkland-high-school-shooter-sentenced-to-life-in-prison\/\" title=\"2018 Parkland High School Shooter Sentenced to Life in Prison\">consecutive life terms<\/a> after being convicted in November 2024 of plotting a 9\/11-style, mass-casualty plane attack, the Justice Department said. Prosecutors say he received military-style training from al\u2011Shabaab in Somalia, attended a flight school in the Philippines with funding from the group, researched methods to hijack aircraft and identified potential U.S. targets (including Atlanta&#8217;s Bank of America Plaza). Arrested in the Philippines in July 2019, Abdullah told the FBI of his intentions; jurors found him guilty of multiple counts, including providing material support to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-consider-enacting-statute-to-increase-punishments-for-domestic-terrorism\/\" title=\"Lawmakers consider enacting statute to increase punishments for domestic terrorism\">foreign terrorist organization<\/a>, conspiring to murder U.S. nationals abroad, aircraft piracy and destruction, and transnational terrorism. He represented himself at trial. U.S. prosecutors and the FBI credited long investigative work for disrupting the plot.The report also notes that the Biden-to-Trump timeline shift in 2025 saw renewed U.S. restrictions on immigration from some African countries (including Somalia), and cites reporting that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >links illicit welfare-fraud proceeds<\/a> in Minnesota to al\u2011Shabaab funding.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A judge sentenced a Kenyan national to two consecutive life sentences on Monday for plotting a plane attack reminiscent of 9\/11, the Department of Justice announced.<\/p>\n<p>Cholo Abdi Abdullah received military-style training from the Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabaab in Somalia, which borders Kenya, to prepare for a &ldquo;mass-casualty terrorist attack&rdquo; before the first Trump administration caught him, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/cholo-abdi-abdullah-sentenced-life-prison-conspiring-commit-911-style-terrorist-attack-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Justice Department said<\/a>. Abdullah represented himself in court, and jurors convicted him in November 2024 on all counts, <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/cholo-abdi-abdullah-sentencing-hearing-delayed\/story?id=120100051\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ABC News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Abdullah joined Al-Shabaab, an Al Qaeda offshoot, in 2015 and learned about the use of weapons and explosives, prosecutors found. He later joined a flight school in the Philippines, receiving financing from the terrorist group. Abdullah also spent years researching how to hijack a plane and what building in the U.S. would make a suitable target, floating the 55-story Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n<p>After being arrested in the Philippines in July 2019, he told the FBI of his intent to one day hijack a plane, the Justice Department said. Another part of his research included &ldquo;certain transit visas that would allow him to enter the U.S.,&rdquo; according to the department.<\/p>\n<p>Abdullah was convicted of conspiring to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-announces-new-legal-team-for-impeachment-defense-after-previous-team-collapsed\/\" title=\"Trump Announces New Legal Team For Impeachment Defense After Previous Team Collapsed\">provide material support<\/a> to a foreign terrorist organization, providing that support, conspiring to murder U.S. nationals abroad, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, conspiring to destroy aircraft, and conspiring to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, according to the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">CASE UPDATE from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NewYorkFBI?\">@NewYorkFBI<\/a>: Cholo Abdi Abdullah Sentenced to Life in Prison for Conspiring to Commit 9\/11-Style Terrorist Attack on Behalf Of al-Shabaab<\/p>\n<p>This week, Cholo Abdi Abdullah was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to provide, and providing, material support to&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6DsARiL22q\">pic.twitter.com\/6DsARiL22q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FBI (@FBI) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FBI\/status\/2003466460706832623?\">December 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I commend the years of outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the career prosecutors of this Office who disrupted Abdullah&rsquo;s murderous plot and brought him to face justice in a U.S. court,&rdquo; U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said. &ldquo;He will now spend [decades] behind bars, where he will not be able to harm innocent Americans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2025\/12\/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-further-restricts-and-limits-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">restricted immigration<\/a> from several African countries, including Somalia, over concerns about criminal activity. Kenya has not been included.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s clampdown on Somali immigration came amid a scandal over billions of dollars in welfare fraud in Minnesota that prosecutors linked to the state&rsquo;s Somali population. Law enforcement sources told City Journal that some of the stolen money went to Al-Shabaab, effectively making Minnesota &ldquo;the largest funder of&rdquo; Abdullah&rsquo;s terrorist group.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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