ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — A federal trial began on April 20, 2026, in Alexandria, Virginia, for Mohammad Sharifullah on one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death. Sharifullah is accused of scouting a route near Abbey Gate at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport before a suicide bombing on August 26, 2021.

The bombing killed approximately 160 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members when a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device during evacuation operations. A U.S. Central Command review found that the bomber was Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State militant released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban.

Sharifullah pleaded not guilty to the single count in his indictment and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Twelve jurors and three alternates were selected for the trial. The trial is expected to last about a week.

Prosecutors said Sharifullah admitted during FBI interviews to checking for law enforcement and Taliban checkpoints near the airport and communicating to ISIS-K members that the route was clear for the attacker. According to court papers, agents conducted five interviews with him: two in Pakistan, two during his flight from the Middle East to the United States, and one in the U.S.

"You will hear his words, and you will see a great deal of evidence of his guilt." Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia John Gibbs said.

Sharifullah told FBI agents that he joined ISIS-K around 2016 and had performed other activities on behalf of the group. According to a court papers, he said he had been in prison until two weeks before the August 2021 bombing and was recruited by ISIS-K after his release, being provided a motorcycle and a cellphone. According to an FBI affidavit, he recognized the Abbey Gate bomber as an operative he had known while incarcerated.

Defense attorney Geremy Kamens argued that his client's confession was obtained under duress while he was in Pakistani custody. "The U.S. government got the wrong man," Kamens said. "That is why we are proud to represent Mohammad Sharifullah in this trial."

President Donald Trump announced Sharifullah's capture during his State of the Union address in March 2025, and Sharifullah arrived in the United States a day after his capture to face prosecution. In an interview with a journalist, Sharifullah said of ISIS-K's intent, "The feeling was just to catch the crusaders and kill them."