Sentencing Adjourned for Kenyan Convicted of 9/11-style Plot, New Counsel Appointed

The sentencing of Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a Kenyan national convicted of plotting a 9/11-style attack in the US, has been postponed to April 7, 2025, after he requested new legal representation. Abdullah, who was found guilty on six counts including conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy and provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, had been representing himself before the trial. During a recent court appearance, he expressed a desire for fresh counsel, leading Judge Analisa Torres to adjourn the case and agree to appoint new lawyers. Prosecutors are advocating for a life sentence, highlighting Abdullah's specialized training and ongoing threat to national security. Abdullah's plot involved plans to hijack a commercial aircraft and crash it into a building in Atlanta, which he began planning as early as 2016. He was arrested in the Philippines in July 2019 after acquiring a private pilot's license and nearing completion of his commercial license.