FBI Director Christopher Wray said the suspect was ’motivated by ISIS’ to commit an Election Day attack in United States.
An Afghan national residing in Oklahoma was arrested on Oct. 7 for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack on Election Day on behalf of ISIS, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Oklahoma City resident Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, is accused of conspiring to carry out a violent attack targeting large gatherings of Americans, according to a criminal complaint unsealed by the DOJ.
“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on Election Day, here on our homeland,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
Tawhedi allegedly took steps to prepare for the attack, including liquidating his family’s assets, resettling his relatives overseas, and acquiring firearms and ammunition, according to the DOJ. He was arrested after purchasing two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition during a sham gun deal organized by the FBI.
A juvenile co-conspirator, also from Afghanistan and residing in Oklahoma, was arrested alongside Tawhedi.
The complaint states that Tawhedi entered the United States on a special immigrant visa in 2021 and was active in pro-ISIS Telegram groups. He allegedly communicated with an ISIS recruiter and expressed interest in becoming a martyr.
FBI agents uncovered posts, financial transactions, and Google searches linked to Tawhedi that further detailed his plot to commit a mass shooting on Election Day.
The criminal complaint alleges that Tawhedi’s phone contained communications between him and an individual involved in recruiting, training, and indoctrinating people interested in terrorist activities, who Tawhedi believed to be linked to ISIS.
The complaint references several messages Tawhedi allegedly sent through Telegram, in which he talked about acquiring AK-47 rifles to execute his planned attack.
“We found a person who deals with weapons,” Tawhedi wrote in a message. “We have ordered 500 bullets. What do you think, brother? Is it enough or should we increase it?”
In other messages, Tawhedi talked about selling his house for $185,000 and arranging for his family to move abroad in the months leading up to the planned attack.
Investigators also noted Google searches Tawhedi allegedly made, including queries such as “How to access Washington DC cameras” and “Which US state does not require relations to get a firearm?”
Additionally, a video from July 20 showed Tawhedi reading to two children about the rewards of martyrdom in the afterlife. Tawhedi also allegedly accessed, viewed, and saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google accounts, participated in pro-ISIS Telegram groups, and donated to a charity that serves as a front for funneling money to ISIS.
The complaint states that Tawhedi and his juvenile co-conspirator advertised their family’s assets for sale on Facebook before the planned attack. An FBI informant, posing as a gun dealer, responded to their ad and met with them at a rural location to test firearms. Tawhedi expressed interest in buying two AK-47 rifles.
On Oct. 7, Tawhedi and the juvenile met with FBI operatives in Oklahoma, where they purchased two AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, and 500 rounds of ammunition. They were arrested immediately after the transaction.
After being arrested, Tawhedi allegedly confirmed the attack was planned for Election Day, according to the FBI.
“We will 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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
Tawhedi faces charges for conspiring to support ISIS, with a potential 20-year sentence, and for receiving a firearm for terrorism, which could add up to 15 years if convicted.