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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Kenyan militant convicted in US deported from PH in 2020 -- BI

Kenyan militant convicted in US deported from PH in 2020 -- BI

Published Dec 28, 2025 10:23 am
A Kenyan militant who was convicted in the United States for conspiring to replicate the “September 11” terrorist attacks was deported by the Philippines in 2020, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Sunday, Dec. 28.
BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval that Al-Shabaab militant Cholo Abdi Abdullah was deported for undesirability and for links to a terrorist group.
Based on his travel records, Sandoval said that Abdullah first arrived in the Philippines in 2017 and had been in and out of the country since then.
He was arrested in 2019 and was deported thereafter.
The United States Department of Justice announced that Abdullah was sentenced to two consecutive life terms as a result of his conviction following a jury trial that concluded on Nov. 4, 2024.
Abdullah was found guilty of conspiring to murder US nationals, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, and other offenses.
US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said: “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.”
On the other hand, US Attorney Jay Clayton said: “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.”
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