NEW YORK — A Kenyan man will learn his sentence today in a New York courtroom after being convicted of plotting a 9/11-style terrorist attack targeting downtown Atlanta. Federal authorities say Cholo Abdi Abdullah was working on behalf of al Shabaab, a Somalia based foreign terrorist organization, when he conspired to hijack aircraft in order to carry out a large-scale attack in the United States.

Investigators say Abdullah admitted to planning to crash a jet into the Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in Georgia located in the heart of Atlanta. Authorities report he began planning the attack as early as 2016 and had gone as far as obtaining a private pilot’s license. He was reportedly close to securing his commercial license when he was arrested in the Philippines in 2019.

Prosecutors revealed that Abdullah had been methodically preparing for the attack, including researching flight schools, airplane manuals, and hijacking tactics. The unsuccessful plot echoes the deadly September 11 attacks that targeted landmarks in New York and Washington, D.C.

More than five years after his arrest, Abdullah faces sentencing. Federal prosecutors are asking the judge to impose a life sentence, citing the seriousness of the planned attack and the threat it posed to national security.

The court’s decision is expected later today.

WSB’s Ashley Simmons contributed to this story