The FBI arrested an Afghan man who authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State militant organization and was planning an election day attack targeting large crowds in the United States.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, told investigators after his arrest Monday that he had planned his attack to coincide with Election Day next month.
He and a juvenile accomplice expected to die as martyrs, according to charging documents.
Tawhedi, who entered the United States in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, had taken steps in recent weeks to advance his attack plans, including ordering AK-47 rifles.
He liquidated his family’s assets and bought one-way tickets for his wife and son to travel home to Afghanistan.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, told investigators after his arrest Monday that he had planned his attack to coincide with Election Day next month.
Tawhedi, who entered the United States in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, had taken steps in recent weeks to advance his attack plans, including ordering AK-47 rifles.
“Terrorism remains the FBI’s number one priority and we will use every resource to protect the American people,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
After his arrest, the Justice Department said, Tawhedi told investigators that he had planned an Election Day attack targeting large gatherings of people.
Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group, designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
He faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for providing support to ISIS and 15 years for obtaining a firearm to commit a felony or federal terrorism offense.
It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
“According to the charges, the Department of Justice foiled the defendant’s plot to acquire semi-automatic weapons and commit a violent attack on behalf of ISIS on American soil on Election Day,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“We will continue to combat the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to the national security of the United States, and we will identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who seek to terrorize the American people,” he continued.
“I am deeply grateful to the public servants of the FBI, the Division of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma for their work in thwarting this attack and for the work they do every day to protect our country.”