Abbey Gate Bombing Suspect Appears in US Court

The man accused of plotting the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. military members and 160 civilians amid the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday afternoon. Mohammad Sharifullah faces charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.

FBI Special Agent Seth Parker testified before Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick, establishing probable cause for the charge. Judge Fitzpatrick agreed that there was probable cause and ordered Sharifullah to be held pending further court hearings.

Sharifullah's Role in the Attack

During questioning from Sharifullah’s public defender, Parker confirmed that Sharifullah was not among the top-level planners of the attack on Abbey Gate. Instead, Sharifullah was tasked by higher leadership within ISIS-K to conduct reconnaissance of the road leading to Abbey Gate and assess any roadblocks or law enforcement presence along the route.

Sharifullah also claimed in court that he was not present at the attack and did not know the specifics of the target. Despite these claims, Parker informed prosecutors with the Department of Justice and Judge Fitzpatrick that Sharifullah was an ISIS-K member with experience assisting in previous suicide bomb attacks.

The Investigation

The FBI reportedly interviewed Sharifullah five times, including twice on a Pakistani Air Force Base in Quetta, Pakistan. Additional interviews took place on a U.S. plane back to the U.S. and once in the U.S. Parker painted a chaotic picture of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, stating that the U.S. had "collapsed" into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

During the hearing, Sharifullah was seen wearing a green jumpsuit and appeared noticeably short. He was extradited last Tuesday night to “face American justice,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel. "3 and 1/2 years later, justice for our 13," Patel wrote on X. President Donald Trump announced Sharifullah’s capture and extradition during his address to a joint session of Congress that same night.

Trump's Announcement

“Three and a half years ago, ISIS terrorists killed 13 American service members and countless others in the Abbey Gate bombing,” Trump told lawmakers and a TV audience of millions. “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice."

According to a Justice Department affidavit, Sharifullah confessed to scouting the attack route and training gunmen involved in a terrorist attack near Moscow last year. Abbey Gate served as the main entry point during the American and coalition forces' evacuation operation at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The Abbey Gate Bombing

On August 26, 2021, Abdul Rahman al-Logari, a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), detonated a body-worn suicide bomb at Abbey Gate. The attack resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. military service members and approximately 160 civilians. The U.S. withdrawal was completed a few days later, and the Taliban subsequently claimed control of Afghanistan.