Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national living in Oklahoma, was charged with conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack on Election Day on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group. Tawhedi was arrested in connection with attempting to provide material support to ISIS and obtaining firearms and ammunition for a planned violent attack in the U.S. Court documents indicated that Tawhedi planned the attack for Nov. 5 to target large gatherings, with the intention of dying as a martyr alongside a juvenile co-conspirator. Tawhedi had made efforts to liquidate his family’s assets, resettle family members in Afghanistan, and obtain AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition.
Tawhedi’s arrest comes amid rising concerns about political violence surrounding the upcoming election. President Joe Biden expressed confidence in a free and fair election but uncertainty about its peacefulness. The arrest was used by Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt to criticize the Biden administration on immigration. Tawhedi entered the U.S. on a special immigrant visa after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in September 2021.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt praised the thwarted plot as an example of successful information-sharing between law enforcement agencies, emphasizing accountability for those seeking to harm the nation. The U.S. continues to combat the threat posed by ISIS both domestically and abroad, with recent arrests of individuals with potential links to the terrorist group and military operations targeting ISIS fighters in Iraq.
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