Abbey Gate terror suspect remains in custody, faces charges connected to deaths of 13 US service members
The terrorist accused of plotting the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. military members and 160 civilians amid the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan remains in custody, and according to investigators, was not one of the top planners of the attack.
Mohammad Sharifullah appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday afternoon to face 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 took to the stand to establish probable cause for the charge, with Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick agreeing that there was probable cause, and ordering him to be held pending further court hearings.
During questioning from Sharifullah’s public defender, Parker agreed that Sharifullah was not among the top-level planners of the attack on Abbey Gate.
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Instead, Parker explained, the suspect was tasked by higher leadership within ISIS-K to conduct reconnaissance of the road leading to Abbey Gate and to see if there were any roadblocks or law enforcement along the route.
It was also noted in the courtroom that Sharifullah said he was not present at the attack and did not know the specifics of the target.
Parker told prosecutors with the Department of Justice and Judge Fitzpatrick that Sharifullah was an ISIS-K member and had experience assisting in previous suicide bomb attacks.
The FBI reportedly interviewed Sharifullah five times, including twice on a Pakistani Air Force Base in Quetta, Pakistan.
The FBI also interviewed him on a U.S. plane back to the U.S. and once in the U.S.
Parker allegedly painted a chaotic picture of the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan, saying the U.S. had "collapsed" into the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
During questioning with Sharifullah’s public defender, Parker confirmed Sharifullah was living near Quetta, Pakistan, where he was raising livestock, including chickens.
During the hearing, Sharifullah was wearing a green jumpsuit, and he appeared to be noticeably short.
Sharifullah was extradited last Tuesday night to "face American justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said.
"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.
"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.
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"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."
Sharifullah confessed to scouting the attack route and training gunmen involved in a terrorist attack near Moscow last year, according to a Justice Department affidavit.
Abbey Gate was the main entry point as American and coalition forces were conducting an evacuation operation at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
On Aug. 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, killing 13 U.S. military service members and approximately 160 civilians," the Justice Department said.
The U.S. withdrawal was completed a few days later, and the Taliban later claimed control of Afghanistan.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Greg Norman contributed to this report.