THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) praised the recent conviction of Kenyan national Cholo Abdi Abdullah in New York.
Abdullah, an alleged operative of the terrorist group al-Shabaab, had been deported from the Philippines in 2020 after his arrest by BI intelligence officers and Anti-Terrorist Group.
Abdullah was arrested by the BI in July 2020 through a mission order after he was found to be in violation of immigration laws. He was also detained by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for violating laws on firearms and explosives, and was later identified as a high-risk individual due to his links to a terrorist organization.
The BI found him to be an undesirable alien and swiftly processed his deportation.
According to U.S. authorities, Abdullah had trained in Somalia before moving to the Philippines, where he enrolled in flight school in 2018.
Reports showed he was preparing to commit a 9/11 attack in the U.S. The BI’s action in arresting and deporting Abdullah ultimately prevented him from advancing his plot.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado highlighted the Bureau’s role in Abdullah’s capture and deportation. “This conviction shows the importance of our work in keeping high-risk individuals out of the country, as well as dismantling terrorist operations,” he said. “Our commitment to national and global security is unwavering.”
According to Viado, the BI continuous to work closely with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency as well as local and international law enforcement agencies in obtaining information on other terrorist activities.
