In a recent development, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a 27-year-old resident of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was apprehended by law enforcement agents following an investigation that revealed his alarming activities.
The probe uncovered that Tawhedi had been amassing automatic weapons and was in the process of liquidating his family's assets. Upon his arrest, Tawhedi confessed to investigators that he was plotting an attack aimed at large crowds. He also revealed the involvement of a juvenile co-conspirator, with both of them anticipating death as Islamic martyrs. Tawhedi had arranged for his wife and child to return to Afghanistan with a one-way ticket. Tawhedi, who arrived in the United States in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, now faces charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group.
According to The Post Millennial, the Justice Department has announced charges against Tawhedi, an Afghan citizen residing in Oklahoma City, for conspiring to conduct a terrorist attack on Election Day in the United States on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The criminal complaint filed against Tawhedi alleges that he conspired and attempted to provide material support to ISIS, procured firearms and ammunition for a violent attack on U.S. soil in the name of ISIS, and took steps to liquidate his familys assets, resettle his family overseas, and acquire AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, As charged, the Justice Department foiled the defendants plot to acquire semi-automatic weapons and commit a violent attack in the name of ISIS on U.S. soil on Election Day. We will continue to combat the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to Americas national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute the individuals who seek to terrorize the American people. I am deeply grateful to the public servants of the FBI, National Security Division, and U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Oklahoma for their work to disrupt this attack and for the work they do every day to protect our country.
FBI Director Christopher Wray added, This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on Election Day, here on our homeland. I am proud of the men and women of the FBI who uncovered and stopped the plot before anyone was harmed. Terrorism is still the FBI's number one priority, and we will use every resource to protect the American people."
U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma expressed gratitude for the relentless efforts of the FBI, National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section, and federal prosecutors in his office, which led to the disruption of the alleged plan to commit an attack on Election Day and the arrest of Mr. Tawhedi. He emphasized that fighting terrorism remains the top priority of the Justice Department.
The criminal complaint further reveals that as part of the investigation into Tawhedi, the FBI searched his phone and found communications between Tawhedi and a person who facilitated recruitment, training, and indoctrination of individuals interested in terrorist activity and who Tawhedi understood to be affiliated with ISIS. Tawhedi was also seen in a video recorded on July 20 reading to two children text that describes the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife. Tawhedi allegedly accessed, viewed, and saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google account, participated in pro-ISIS Telegram groups, and contributed to a charity which fronts for and funnels money to ISIS.
While liquidating their familys assets prior to the attack, Tawhedi and his juvenile co-conspirator advertised the sale of the familys personal property on Facebook. A confidential human source, under the FBIs direction, responded to inquire if a computer was still for sale. The source mentioned that he needed the computer for a new gun business he was starting, which led Tawhedi and the juvenile to meet with the source and other FBI assets at a rural location to test firearms. Tawhedi expressed interest in purchasing two AK-47 assault rifles, magazines, and ammunition from the source.
On October 7, Tawhedi and the juvenile met with the FBI assets at a rural location in the Western District of Oklahoma and purchased, received, and took possession of two AK-47 assault rifles, ten magazines, and 500 rounds of ammunition. Upon receipt of the rifles and ammunition, Tawhedi and the juvenile were arrested.
In his seized communications, Tawhedi allegedly indicated that his attack was planned for Election Day, and in a post-arrest interview, Tawhedi allegedly confirmed the attack was planned for Election Day targeting large gatherings of people, during which he and the juvenile were expected to die as martyrs.
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.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Moore, Oklahoma Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L. Perry, Matt Dillon, and Mark Stoneman for the Western District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorneys George C. Kraehe and Everett McMillian of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. This case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by ISIS and its supporters to America's national security, and the relentless efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect the American people.
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