Oklahoma Man Arrested for Alleged Election Day Terror Plot Inspired by ISIS
The FBI has arrested a 27-year-old Afghan man, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, for allegedly plotting an attack on Election Day targeting large crowds in the United States. Tawhedi, who arrived in the US in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa, is believed to have been inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group, The Associated Press reports.
According to charging documents, Tawhedi confessed to investigators after his arrest on Monday that he and a juvenile co-conspirator, identified as an Afghan national and the brother of Tawhedi’s wife, planned to die as martyrs during their attack.
Tawhedi’s alleged plans began taking shape in recent weeks. He ordered AK-47 rifles, liquidated his family’s assets, and purchased one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel back to Afghanistan.
The FBI, citing evidence gathered over recent months, claims Tawhedi was deeply committed to carrying out his plan. This includes a photograph from July depicting Tawhedi reading a text describing the rewards of martyrdom to his children, including his daughter. He also consumed ISIS propaganda, contributed to a charity that acts as a front for the militant group, and communicated with a known ISIS recruiter.
The FBI’s investigation gained momentum when Tawhedi and his co-conspirator advertised the sale of their personal property on Facebook. An FBI informant responded to the ad, building a relationship with the men and eventually inviting them to a gun range. There, they ordered weapons from an undercover FBI official posing as the informant’s business partner.
Tawhedi was apprehended on Monday after taking possession of two AK-47 rifles and ammunition he had ordered. The juvenile co-conspirator was also arrested.
The arrest comes at a time when the FBI is facing growing concerns about extremist violence in the U.S. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently stated that “so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.”
Tawhedi faces charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a charge punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
