The FBI arrested a man from Afghanistan who was allegedly planning an Election Day terrorist attack in the U.S.
Federal prosecutors charged Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi with planning the attack in support of ISIS. He was arrested Monday in Oklahoma City, and the Justice Department said he was making his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday.
According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, Tawhedi and unnamed co-conspirators were followers of ISIS and took steps to carry out their attack in the U.S., including selling the family home, working to relocate family abroad and purchasing ammunition.
“Their ultimate aim was to stage a violent attack in the United States in the name of and on behalf of ISIS,” prosecutors wrote.
Twenty-seven-year-old Tawhedi traveled to the U.S. on a special immigrant visa in 2021, the criminal complaint says. Electronic records accessed by the FBI showed Tawhedi allegedly viewed ISIS propaganda and contributed to a charity that “fronts for and funnels money to ISIS.”
Federal investigators allege Tawhedi searched for access to surveillance and security cameras in Washington, D.C., and checked webcams showing the White House and Washington Monument in late July. They also believe Tawhedi was seeking out places in which gun laws were more lax.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
