FBI foils alleged ISIS-inspired terrorist plot on Election Day by Afghan national

The Justice Department announced the arrest Tuesday of an Afghan national living in Oklahoma and accused him of conspiring to kill Americans on Election Day on behalf of the terrorist group ISIS.

Nasir Tawhedi, 27, allegedly attempted to purchase semi-automatic firearms and ammunition to further his alleged plans to carry out the attack, and went so far as to liquidate his family’s assets and resettle family members abroad in preparation.

According to the complaint, Tawhedi entered the US in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa and is currently on probation pending the adjudication of his immigration case.

The charging documents also reference at least one co-conspirator, identified as a citizen of Afghanistan with lawful permanent resident status, who also resides in Oklahoma but is a minor.

FBI investigators say they obtained images, posts and texts from devices belonging to Tawhedi that showed his adherence to ISIS ideology. They also tracked financial activity that allegedly showed he donated to a charity that funds and funnels money to ISIS.

The complaint cites several messages that Tawhedi allegedly sent via Telegram in which he discussed obtaining AK-47 rifles to carry out his attack.

“We found a person who deals with weapons,” Tawhedi wrote in a text. “We ordered 500 bullets. What do you think, brother? Is it enough or should we increase it?”

In other messages, Tawhedi discussed how he sold his home for $185,000 and made plans to relocate his family in the months leading up to the planned attack.

Investigators also cite Google searches that Tawhedi allegedly conducted that included “How to access Washington DC cameras” and “Which US state does not require relationships to obtain a firearm?”

Several confidential FBI sources later made contact with Tawhedi and recorded meetings with him to discuss a deal to obtain two AK-47s that he planned to use in the attack. He and his co-conspirator were arrested Monday after executing the fake gun deal, court documents say.

In an interview with investigators on the Monday following his arrest, Tawhedi allegedly admitted that he and his co-conspirator sought to obtain the weapons and purchased the shotguns for the purpose of committing an election day attack, “targeting large concentrations of people.” , and further stated that both “expected to be martyred” and die during the attack.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.