The U.S. now has in custody a key figure in three major terror attacks, including the deadly August 2021 suicide bombing targeting U.S. soldiers at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. military servicemembers and 160 civilians as the U.S. sought to withdraw from that country.
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Mohammad Sharifullah, described as an ISIS-K operative, allegedly admitted to his involvement in the attacks to FBI agents in an interview after they read him his Miranda rights on Sunday at an undisclosed location.
As part of his service to ISIS-K, Sharifullah allegedly conducted surveillance “so that he could prepare the suicide bomber and transport him to the target area.”
The bomber later used a “body worn improvised explosive device to conduct the attack,” the complaint said.
Sharifullah claimed to agents that he was in prison in Afghanistan from 2019 until approximately two weeks prior to the Abbey Gate attack. It is believed that he was released by the Taliban in the waning days as the Afghan republic crumbled.
Sharifullah also allegedly revealed he played a role in the suicide bombing targeting the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in June 2016 that killed 10 embassy guards and wounded other soldiers guarding the Canadian embassy.
The complaint also claims that Sharifullah played a role in on one of the largest terror attacks in recent memory.
“On March 22, 2024, a group of gunmen affiliated with ISIS-K attacked Crocus City Hall, a popular concert venue complex near Moscow, Russia. The attackers shot numerous victims with firearms including AK-style rifles and set fire to the building. The attack killed approximately 130 people.”
Sharifullah is charged with unlawfully conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.
U.S. officials have told ABC News that Pakistani officials arrested Sharifullah last month and recently turned him over to U.S. officials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel both posted on , saying that the operation to extradite Sharifullah involved the Justice Department, the FBI and the CIA.
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