Afghan man charged over Election Day terrorist plot "in the name of ISIS"
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Attorney General Merrick Garland in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
An Afghan man has been charged with conspiring to conduct an Election Day terrorist attack in the U.S. on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday.
The big picture: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi was arrested on Oct. 7 after buying two AK-47 assault rifles and other weaponry from an FBI agent in the Western District of Oklahoma and told investigators that he planned to "target large gatherings of people" and expected to die along with his juvenile brother-in-law, prosecutors allege.
- "Their ultimate aim was to stage a violent attack in the United States in the name of and on behalf of ISIS," per the complaint.
- Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, if convicted.
Zoom in: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, resident Tawhedi is accused of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and obtaining firearms and ammunition to conduct a violent attack on U.S. soil in the name of ISIS, according to the complaint.
- Prosecutors allege they also seized communications indicating a plan for the attack by Tawhedi, who arrived in the U.S. on a special immigrant visa in September 2021, evidence that he participated in a pro-ISIS Telegram group and that he saved propaganda of the terrorist group to his computer.
- An FBI search of his phone allegedly obtained communications between Tawhedi and a person who facilitated recruitment and training whom the accused understood to be affiliated with ISIS.
- The 27-year-old is also accused of contributing to a charity that "fronts for and funnels money to ISIS.
- Tawhedi was also seen in a video recorded in July reading to two children text that describes rewards a "martyr receives in the afterlife," according to the DOJ.
What they're saying: Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Tuesday that as charged, "the Justice Department foiled the defendant's plot to acquire semi-automatic weapons and commit a violent attack in the name of ISIS on U.S. soil on Election Day."
- He said the DOJ would "continue to combat the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to America's national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute the individuals who seek to terrorize the American people."
- FBI Director Christopher Wray added: "Terrorism is still the FBI's number one priority, and we will use every resource to protect the American people."
Go deeper: U.S. faces "serious threat" of terror attack, expert and former CIA chief warn
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from FBI Director Christopher Wray.
