Wed Mar 05 06:34:25 UTC 2025: **Trump Announces Arrest of Suspected Kabul Airport Bomber**
WASHINGTON, March 5, 2025 – President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night the arrest and extradition to the United States of Muhammed Sharifullah, a suspected key planner of the August 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing that killed 13 American service members. Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, was apprehended late last month on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border by Pakistani officials.
According to a senior U.S. official, Sharifullah confessed to his role in the Abbey Gate attack during FBI interrogation. The confession also implicated him in a March 2024 ISIS-K attack in Moscow and several attacks within Iran. The official, speaking anonymously, stated that charging documents would be unsealed on Wednesday.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest on social media, calling it “one step closer to justice.” The White House described Sharifullah as having “orchestrated” the attack, which also killed 170 Afghans and wounded many more. The bombing drew heavy criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. A U.S. Central Command review last year concluded the bombing was unavoidable. The bomber himself, Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State militant, had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban.
President Trump, who frequently criticized the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal during his campaign, attributed the arrest to increased intelligence sharing and pressure on regional partners following his inauguration. The Justice Department has yet to comment on the pending charges.
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