Defense Says Afghan Defendant Gave False Confession In 2021 Kabul Abbey Gate Bombing As Trial Begins In Virginia

Alexandria, Va. — The federal trial of Mohammad Sharifullah opened Monday in Alexandria, Virginia, with his defense team telling jurors that U.S. authorities “got the wrong man” in the deadly 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate. Prosecutors say Sharifullah scouted the bomber’s route; the defendant’s lawyers say his statements were coerced while he was in Pakistani custody.

Defense And Prosecution Statements

Defense attorney Geremy Kamens told the jury in opening statements that Sharifullah had no role in planning the attack and that any confession he made was false or extracted under duress. "The U.S. government got the wrong man," Kamens said.

Justice Department prosecutor John Gibbs responded that Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, spoke to a journalist about killing American "crusaders" who entered Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks and told FBI agents he joined the Islamic State regional affiliate ISIS-K around 2016. Gibbs said Sharifullah denied planning the Kabul attack but admitted to having undertaken "a lot of other things" for ISIS-K.

This courtroom sketch depicts government witness Bruce Hoffman testifying as defendant Mohammad Sharifullah, seated left, listens during the opening day of the trial for Sharifullah in federal court in Alexandria, Va., Monday, April 20, 2026. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Case Background And Key Details

The attack occurred on Aug. 26, 2021, as U.S. forces were conducting an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport. A lone suicide bomber detonated an explosive near the entry known as Abbey Gate, killing roughly 160 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members — nearly 200 people in all.

A U.S. Central Command review later identified the Abbey Gate bomber as Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State operative who the Taliban had released from an Afghan prison. According to an FBI affidavit, Sharifullah recognized that alleged bomber as someone he had known while incarcerated.

A former Marine testified to Congress that he and others had noticed two individuals behaving suspiciously on the morning of the attack but were not authorized to engage. Central Command concluded the snipers had not seen the actual attacker and determined the strike could not have been prevented.

This courtroom sketch depicts defense attorney Geremy Kamens speaking as Judge Anthony J. Trenga listens during the opening day of the trial for alleged Islamic State militant Mohammad Sharifullah in federal court in Alexandria, Va., Monday, April 20, 2026. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Capture, Charges And Related Allegations

President Donald Trump announced Sharifullah’s capture during his State of the Union address in March 2025; Sharifullah arrived in the United States the next day to face prosecution. He is charged with one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death and faces a possible life sentence if convicted. Twelve jurors and three alternates were seated for the week-long trial.

Prosecutors also allege Sharifullah was involved in other ISIS-K-linked operations, including providing firearms instruction before a March 2024 attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed roughly 140 people, according to the FBI.

Controversies And Defense Claims

The case has intersected with political controversy. One prosecutor initially assigned to the Abbey Gate case, Michael Ben’Ary, was dismissed by the Justice Department last year after public criticism from a right-wing commentator; his removal was described as part of a broader reorganization of Justice Department staff.

Kamens suggested that statements attributed to Sharifullah were likely obtained while he was in Pakistani custody and were the result of coercion. The defense also raised the possibility that sympathetic Taliban elements who were controlling parts of airport security that day may have aided attackers, an assertion the prosecution disputes.

Kamens: "The Pakistanis wanted him to confess, and their intelligence service tortures people."

The trial will determine whether the government can prove Sharifullah provided material support that resulted in death in connection with the Abbey Gate bombing.