The FBI arrested a person from Afghanistan who was allegedly planning an Election Day terrorist assault within the U.S.
Federal prosecutors charged Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi with planning the assault in assist of ISIS. He was arrested Monday in Oklahoma Metropolis, and the Justice Division stated he was making his preliminary look in federal courtroom on Tuesday.
In keeping with a federal legal criticism unsealed Tuesday, Tawhedi and unnamed co-conspirators — together with a juvenile who’s Tawhedi’s brother-in-law — had been followers of ISIS and took steps to hold out their assault within the U.S., together with by attempting to promote their household dwelling, relocate their households overseas and buy firearms and ammunition.
“Their final intention was to stage a violent assault in the US within the identify of and on behalf of ISIS,” prosecutors wrote.
Twenty-seven-year-old Tawhedi traveled to the U.S. on a particular immigrant visa in 2021, the legal criticism says. The U.S. presents Particular Immigrant Visas to people who labored with the U.S. armed forces or beneath chief of mission authority as a translator or interpreter in both Iraq or Afghanistan, in accordance with the State Division. It presents visas to as much as 50 folks a 12 months.
Digital information accessed by the FBI confirmed Tawhedi allegedly seen ISIS propaganda and contributed to a charity that “fronts for and funnels cash to ISIS.”
Federal investigators allege Tawhedi looked for entry to surveillance and safety cameras in Washington, D.C., and checked webcams displaying the White Home and Washington Monument in late July. In addition they consider Tawhedi was looking for out locations by which gun legal guidelines had been extra lax.
Federal investigators stated they despatched a confidential human supply and later an undercover FBI agent to secretly work together with the boys as they sought to promote their dwelling and different possessions on Fb and buy weapons.
In a Sept. 21 message to an individual allegedly related to terrorist exercise, Tawhedi stated he had bought two kalashnikov rifles and ordered 500 bullets.
“What do you assume, brother? Is it sufficient or ought to we enhance it,” the Telegram message stated.
“After that we are going to start our obligation, God keen, with the assistance of God, we’ll prepare for the election day,” Tawhedi wrote.
In keeping with the legal criticism, Tawhedi and his brother-in-law acquired two AK-47 rifles on Monday, shortly earlier than their arrest.
Tawhedi advised investigators throughout a post-arrest interview that they’d bought the weapons to hold out an assault on Election Day and goal giant gatherings of individuals, throughout which they “anticipated to be martyred,” the criticism says.
