Trending Now - Afghan Man Faces Trial Over Alleged Role in Kabul Airport Attack

WHO:

NBC News - Mohammad Sharifullah, an Afghan national, is on trial.

ABC News - Sharifullah is accused of being an alleged Islamic State militant.

ABC News - Defense attorney Geremy Kamens represents Sharifullah.

ABC News - Prosecutor John Gibbs is assigned to the case.

WHAT:

NBC News - Sharifullah is accused of playing a key role in the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed more than 180 people.

ABC News - The bombing killed nearly 200 people, including 13 U.S. service members.

ABC News - Sharifullah faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

ABC News - Twelve jurors and three alternates were selected for the trial.

ABC News - The trial is expected to last about a week.

ABC News - Sharifullah is charged with one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.

ABC News - The FBI stated that Sharifullah provided instructions on the proper use of firearms for an attack in March 2024 at a Moscow concert hall that killed roughly 140 people.

WHERE:

NBC News - The trial is taking place in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

ABC News - The bombing occurred at Kabul airport, specifically near an entry point known as Abbey Gate.

WHEN:

NBC News - The trial began on Monday, April 20th, 2026.

ABC News - The bombing at Kabul airport occurred on August 26th, 2021.

ABC News - Trump announced Sharifullah’s capture during his State of the Union address in March 2025.

WHY:

ABC News - The defense claims that U.S. authorities “got the wrong man” and that Sharifullah gave a false confession.

ABC News - Kamens suggested that the bombing was likely an “inside job” aided by sympathetic Taliban extremists.

HOW:

ABC News - Sharifullah was interviewed by FBI agents for hours over several days after his capture.

ABC News - The bombing was carried out by a lone suicide bomber who detonated an improvised explosive device.

(UPDATED April 21, 2026 01:22 UTC)

Mohammad Sharifullah, an Afghan national accused of being an Islamic State militant, is currently on trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, for his alleged role in the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed nearly 200 people, including 13 U.S. service members. The trial began on Monday, with Sharifullah facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death. His defense attorney, Geremy Kamens, argues that U.S. authorities may have "got the wrong man" and suggests the bombing could have been an "inside job" involving sympathetic Taliban extremists.