A Kenyan national has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in a U.S. federal prison after being convicted of plotting a “9/11-style” terrorist attack targeting Atlanta’s tallest building. According to the investigations, the suspect had joined the al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia in 2015 and spent about a year undergoing military training, including the use of firearms and explosives. From 2017 to 2019, he attended a flight school in the Philippines, where he undertook his flight training. Investigators added that during the flight training period, he carried out online research, from studying cockpit doors, airline security protocols, and transit visa requirements to ways weapons could be smuggled onto aircraft. In addition to the two life sentences, the court imposed a lifetime of supervised release.

Source: The Star December 23, 2025 20:24 UTC