A 27-year-old Afghan living in Oklahoma was detained by the FBI on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on the day of the US presidential elections. The Department of Justice reported that the man was to act on behalf of the so-called Islamic State.
On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice announced that a man was detained in Oklahoma a day earlier on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack on the day of the presidential elections in USAi.e. November 5. He is 27-year-old Afghan Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who has already been charged. His minor alleged accomplice, his nephew, was also detained.
He planned to kill a large group of people
The department said the man was planning the attack on behalf of the so-called Islamic State. He “obtained firearms and ammunition to conduct a brutal attack on U.S. territory on behalf of ISIS” and “conspired and attempted to provide material support” to the organization.
It is also known that the man was looking for information on the Internet about city cameras in Washington – he checked, among others, view from cameras of the White House and the Washington Monument – and in states where a firearms license is not required. Tawhedi himself admitted during interrogation that his attack was intended to target large groups of people.
“We will continue to fight the continuing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to America's national security,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized in a statement, announcing lawsuits against people “who seek to terrorize Americans.”
Who is the detainee?
As Reuters writes, citing the indictment, the 27-year-old is a resident of Oklahoma. He came to the United States in 2021 on a Special Immigrant Visa – ed. This program allows entry into the US territory for people who have previously cooperated with the US armed forces as translators Iraq or Afghanistan. Such visas are issued to no more than 50 people per year. However, the document does not clearly indicate whether Tawhedi actually worked as a translator.
NBC News reported unofficially, citing two sources, that the 27-year-old had previously worked as a security guard in Afghanistan, employed by CIA.
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