Sharifullah, an ISKP terrorist arrested at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and handed over to the U.S. by Pakistan, was presented in a Virginia court for an initial hearing.
According to national media, Mohammad Sharifullah appeared before Judge William Porter in Virginia’s federal court on March 5 in the afternoon, wearing a blue prison uniform. According to U.S. officials, Sharifullah is one of the two suspects involved in the Kabul attack.
During the 10-minute initial hearing, Sharifullah was informed that if the charges against him are proven, he could face a life sentence. The Afghan national used a Dari-language interpreter to communicate with the judge. During the hearing, the attorney stated that the accused has no assets and requires a federal public defender.
Sharifullah has also confessed to being involved in the March 2024 attack on Moscow’s City Hall.
Revelations by the ISKP terrorist
Earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice stated that on March 2, Sharifullah admitted to FBI agents that he was recruited into ISKP in the year 2000. Regarding terrorist activities during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Sharifullah revealed that he had guided an attacker to Kabul Airport.
The August 26, 2021 attack killed 13 U.S. personnel and 170 Afghans. The suicide bomber, identified as Abdul Rahman Al-Logari, carried out the attack at 5:30 PM.
Sharifullah further disclosed that he personally assessed the presence of law enforcement, Americans, or Taliban at checkpoints and later informed other ISKP terrorists that the path was clear and that the suicide bomber would not be detected.
He also identified the Kabul Airport attacker, Al-Logari, as a ISKP member and admitted to involvement in several other attacks on behalf of ISKP. On June 20, 2016, a ISKP suicide bomber attacked outside the Canadian Embassy in Kabul, killing over 10 security guards and several civilians, while injuring multiple others, including embassy personnel.
Sharifullah confessed to conducting surveillance of the area and facilitating the terrorist’s arrival for this attack. On March 22, 2024, ISKP carried out an attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow, killing 123 civilians. Russian authorities arrested four armed individuals involved in the attack.
During interrogation, Sharifullah informed the FBI that he had exchanged information with the attackers on how to operate Kalashnikov-style rifles and other weapons. He admitted to personally instructing two of the four arrested suspects.
Sharifullah also told FBI agents that he had been in an Afghan prison since 2019. Two weeks before the Kabul attack, he was released and provided with a motorcycle, money to buy a phone, and a directive from ISKP to use only social media platforms for communication during attacks.
U.S. attorney’s stance in court
U.S. Attorney Eric Seibert for the Eastern District of Virginia stated that the charges against Sharifullah send a clear message that the U.S. will never back down from bringing terrorists to justice. However, the U.S. Department of Justice emphasized that all these claims remain allegations until proven in court, and every individual is presumed innocent until found guilty.
Sharifullah, arrested on terrorism-related charges, is scheduled to appear in court again on Monday. It is noteworthy that Pakistan arrested the ISKP commander based on intelligence provided by the CIA.
