Afghan man, planning to attack US on Election Day in November, arrested by FBI

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City told the officials that he and one of his co-conspirators were planning to execute the attack on Election Day next month and die as martyrs in the midst of it.

In the preliminary investigation, the officials found that Tawhedi subscribed to Islamic State propaganda, converted to charity which masqueraded as a front for the militant group. (AP)

The FBI has arrested an individual who is said to be influenced by the Islamic State terror outfit and was planning to attack large crowds in the US on Election Day, scheduled for November 5.

According to documents in which the suspect is charged, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City told the officials that he and one of his co-conspirators were planning to execute the attack on Election Day next month and die as martyrs in the midst of it.

Tawhedi, who came to the United States in 2021, had advanced his attack plan and even ordered AK-47, liquidating his family’s assets and buying one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel home to Afghanistan, according to news agency Associated Press.

The arrest comes at a time when the United States is facing multiple security threats in various forms and the agency’s Director Christopher Wray telling The Associated Press in August that he was “hard pressed to think of a time in my career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Wray said “Terrorism is still the FBI’s number one priority, and we will use every resource to protect the American people.”

In the preliminary investigation, the officials found that Tawhedi subscribed to Islamic State propaganda, converted to charity which masqueraded as a front for the militant group. Tawhedi also viewed webcams for the White House and the Washington Monument in July.

However, the Justice Department did not reveal the identity of Tawhedi’s alleged co-conspirator.

(with inputs from AP)

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