An Afghan citizen has been arrested for planning a terrorist attack in the U.S.
Bayan News – U.S. media have reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested an Afghan citizen on charges of planning a terrorist attack on U.S. Election Day.
According to CBS News, this Afghan citizen is named Naser Ahmad Tawhidi, and federal prosecutors have accused him of planning the attack in support of ISIS.
This 27-year-old man, who was evacuated from Kabul to the U.S. in September 2021, was arrested on Monday, October 7, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
According to the report, based on a federal criminal complaint against Tawhidi, he and his accomplices, including a teenager who is Tawhidi’s brother-in-law, were supporters of ISIS and took steps to carry out their attack in the U.S., such as attempting to sell their home, moving their families abroad, and purchasing firearms and ammunition.
The report cites prosecutors stating: “Their ultimate goal was to carry out a violent attack in the U.S. in the name of ISIS.”
According to the published report, the FBI investigation revealed that Tawhidi had apparently viewed ISIS propaganda.
Additionally, the man had donated approximately $540 in cryptocurrency to a charity in Syria “that transfers funds to ISIS.”
Based on CBS News, federal investigators claim that Tawhidi searched for access to surveillance cameras in Washington, D.C., and reviewed webcams showing the White House and the Washington Monument in late July. The man was also searching for locations where gun laws were more lenient.
On September 21, Tawhidi messaged a person allegedly linked to terrorist activities, stating that he had purchased two Kalashnikov rifles and ordered 500 rounds of ammunition.
In a Telegram message, he wrote: “Brother, what do you think? Is it enough, or should we increase it?”
In subsequent messages, Tawhidi said that his father-in-law’s house had been sold for $185,000, and they would receive the funds by October 15.
He also sought help in relocating his family, which included his mother-in-law, wife, young daughter, and five brothers and sisters-in-law, to Afghanistan.
Tawhidi had purchased a one-way plane ticket for his family’s trip to Kabul on October 17.
He wrote: “After that, we will begin to carry out our duty, Inshallah, and prepare for Election Day with God’s help.”
According to the criminal complaint, Tawhidi and his brother-in-law received two AK-47 rifles on Monday, shortly before being arrested.
During a post-arrest interview, Tawhidi told investigators that they had purchased the weapons to carry out an attack on Election Day and target large crowds, during which they “expected to die as martyrs.”
Christopher Wray, FBI Director, said in a statement: “I am proud of the men and women of the FBI who uncovered and stopped this plot before anyone could be harmed.”
Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General, stated: “We will continue to combat the ongoing threat posed by ISIS and its supporters to U.S. national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute those who seek to instill terror in America.”
