The United States charged Mohammad Sharifullah, a member of the Islamic State’s Afghanistan branch, ISIS-K, on Sunday with allegedly helping plan the 2021 terror attack at Kabul’s airport, which killed 13 American soldiers and several others.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Sharifullah with “providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death.”
During his joint address to Congress on Tuesday evening, President Trump revealed that the United States had apprehended a “top terrorist” responsible for the 2021 bombing at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate in Afghanistan, which killed 13 American service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians.
“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,” Mr. Trump said.
In a statement, the DOJ confirmed that Sharifullah had been arrested and was scheduled to appear in the Eastern District of Virginia on Wednesday, where the US government had filed a criminal complaint against him.
“This evil ISIS-K terrorist orchestrated the brutal murder of 13 heroic Marines,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi declared.
In his speech Tuesday, Trump thanked Pakistan for “helping arrest this monster,” as the country acted on CIA intelligence that led to Sharifullah’s arrest, according to CNN.
Trump also described the development as a “momentous day” for the families of those affected, stating that he had spoken with “many of the parents and loved ones” of those killed.
According to the DOJ, Sharifullah admitted to assisting in the preparations for the Abbey Gate attack, including scouting a route near the airport for an attacker.
According to the DOJ, during his FBI interview, Sharifullah admitted to supporting and carrying out activities on behalf of ISIS-K in a number of other lethal attacks.
Sharifullah joined ISIS-K in 2016. He was arrested in 2019, but he escaped in a jailbreak orchestrated by the Afghan Taliban during their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
The DOJ also stated that following Sharifullah’s release, an ISIS-K member contacted him to request his assistance in a planned attack in Kabul.
“On June 20, 2016, a suicide bomber acting for ISIS-K detonated a bomb, killing over ten embassy guards and multiple civilians while injuring other soldiers guarding the Canadian embassy in Kabul.” ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the DOJ statement.
According to the criminal complaint, Sharifullah conducted surveillance to prepare the suicide bomber before transporting him to the location of the attack.
During his FBI interview, Sharifullah allegedly admitted that, on behalf of ISIS-K, he shared instructions on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons with attackers who carried out an attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow, Russia, killing at least 130 people and injuring several others.
If convicted of these charges, Sharifullah faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.