The US Department of Justice has arrested a man who allegedly planned an Election Day attack on behalf of the Islamic State group.
According to prosecutors, suspect Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27 years old, is an Afghan citizen residing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly plotted to carry out a violent attack on Election Day, right here in their homeland,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement Tuesday. me”.
The FBI said he was trying to stockpile guns and had taken steps to liquidate family assets and move members abroad.
Mr. Tawhedi was charged with providing, attempting to provide and conspiring to provide support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization; and attempting to purchase firearms and ammunition for use in committing a felony or act of terrorism.
The FBI said Mr. Tawhedi worked with an unnamed accomplice, a teenage relative who was also an Afghan citizen. It accuses him of using Islamic State propaganda over the internet, relying on Google profiles obtained by law enforcement, and donating to a charity used as a front for IS.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said: “We will continue to combat the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to America’s national security, and we will determine, Investigate and prosecute individuals who seek to terrorize the American people.”
According to the BBC’s news partner CBS, an affidavit by federal investigators alleges that Mr. Tawhedi searched surveillance cameras in Washington and webcams of the White House and the Washington Monument. It also alleges that he researched states with more lax gun laws.
Authorities said Mr. Tawhedi sought an AK-47 assault rifle to use in the attack. On October 7, he and his co-conspirators met with individuals who were actually working undercover for the FBI to purchase weapons and ammunition.
After the sale, Mr. Tawhedi and his accomplices were arrested.
In an interview conducted after his arrest on Monday, the FBI said Mr. Tawhedi allegedly confirmed that he planned an Election Day attack targeting “mass gatherings people” and that he planned to die doing it.
Mr. Tawhedi arrived in the US in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa with his wife and young children. He lived in Oklahoma City at the time of his arrest.
It is unclear whether he has legal representation.
