The Justice Department announced the arrest of 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi on Tuesday.
Tawhedi, a citizen of Afghanistan living in Oklahoma City, was charged for planning a terror attack on November 5th in the U.S., according to the DOJ.
The DOJ said Tawhedi was planning the attack on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
As part of the plot, The DOJ said Tawhedi allegedly took steps to sell his family’s assets, move his family overseas, acquire AK-47 rifles and ammunition and commit a terror attack in the U.S.
An FBI search of his phone is said to have uncovered communications between Tawhedi and someone the DOJ said facilitated recruitment, training, and indoctrination of persons who expressed interest in terrorist activity and who Tawhedi understood to be affiliated with ISIS. Tawhedi also had ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google accounts, officials said.
The DOJ said Tawhedi and a juvenile co-conspirator posted information about the sale of family property on social media. Officials said a confidential source responded to that post and ultimately met up with Tawhedi and the juvenile on October 7th to buy two AK-47 assault rifles, ten magazines, and 500 rounds of ammunition.
Once they took possession of the items, the DOJ said they were arrested.
According to the DOJ, admitted after his arrest that he was planning to target large gatherings of people on Election Day and that he and the juvenile expected to die as martyrs.
Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which the DOJ said carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He was also charged with receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, if convicted.
Oklahoma Senator James Lankford released the following statement on the arrest and alleged terror plot:
“The charges brought against Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi in Oklahoma for plotting an Election Day terrorist attack on US soil is a stark reminder that our nation continues to face threats from those who hate our freedom and want to do us harm. I’m grateful to the FBI, especially the Oklahoma FBI Field Office, and our local law enforcement agencies for their vigilance and dedication to protect our communities. Their swift action prevented what could have been a devastating attack.
Tawhedi is Afghan refugee with ties to ISIS. With the escalating conflict in Israel and across the Middle East, we must remain vigilant against terrorism here at home. Oklahomans know well that many of the Afghan refugees in our communities fought side by side with American troops against the terrorism that attacked our nation on 9/11 and destroyed the nation of Afghanistan.
I have been in direct contact with the FBI about this case for a while and I will remain engaged as Tawhedi is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I will continue to work closely with Federal prosecutors to ensure we are taking every step necessary to keep Americans safe.”