ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Federal authorities have arrested and charged Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as “Jafar,” for his involvement in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 160 civilians.
Sharifullah, a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), has been charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death. He is expected to appear in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia on March 5.
“This evil ISIS-K terrorist orchestrated the brutal murder of 13 heroic Marines,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s strong leadership on the world stage, this Department of Justice will ensure that terrorists like Mohammad Sharifullah have no safe haven.”
The Department of Justice alleges that Sharifullah scouted routes near Hamid Karzai International Airport to ensure the attacker would not be detected before ISIS-K member Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated a suicide bomb on Aug. 26, 2021. The attack occurred amid the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
During an interview with the FBI, Sharifullah admitted to assisting in the Abbey Gate bombing and supporting ISIS-K in other deadly attacks, including a 2016 bombing that killed embassy guards in Kabul and the 2024 attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which left approximately 130 dead.
If convicted, Sharifullah faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The arrest of Sharifullah marks a significant development in the ongoing U.S. effort to bring those responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing to justice.