The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a man who reportedly planned an attack on Election Day in the name of the Islamic State.
Prosecutors said the suspect, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, is an Afghan citizen living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack on Election Day in our country,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement on Tuesday.
The FBI stated that he was seeking to amass firearms and had taken efforts to liquidate his family’s assets and relocate members overseas.
The FBI charges Mr. Tawhedi with providing, attempting to provide, and conspiring to provide support or resources to a foreign terrorist organisation, as well as attempting to procure firearms and ammunition to commit a felony or act of terrorism.
The FBI alleges that Mr. Tawhedi worked with an unnamed co-conspirator, who is a juvenile relative and an Afghan citizen, and consumed Islamic State propaganda on the internet, according to Google records.
“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 terrorise the American people,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
According to CBS, a federal investigator’s affidavit indicates that Mr. Tawhedi searched for security cameras in Washington, as well as webcams of the White House and the Washington Monument.
It also claims that he studied states with laxer gun laws. According to officials, Mr. Tawhedi planned to use AK-47 assault weapons in the attack.
On October 7, he and a co-conspirator met with someone who worked undercover for the FBI to buy the guns and ammo.
Following the purchase, Mr. Tawhedi and his co-conspirator were arrested.
In an interview conducted following his arrest on Monday, the FBI claimed Mr. Tawhedi allegedly stated he planned an Election Day attack targeting “large gatherings of people” and that he intended to die carrying it out.
Mr. Tawhedi arrived in the United States in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa with his wife and little child.
He lived in Oklahoma City when he was arrested. It is unclear whether he has legal representation.
