Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi Arrested for Election Day Terror Plot
Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi planned to die as a martyr following his attack, the merits of which he explains to two young children. Source: U.S. State Department
On Monday, October 7, 27-year-old Afghan national Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi was arrested in Oklahoma for conspiring to conduct a terrorist attack on election day in the United States. A now-released criminal complaint states that Tawhedi allegedly “took steps to liquidate his family’s assets, resettle members of his family overseas, acquire AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, and commit a terrorist attack in the United States.”
Tawhedi reportedly co-conspired with his wife’s younger brother, a juvenile. The pair’s plan was set to coincide with Election Day and would have targeted large crowds of people. Following the attacks, the pair expected to “die as martyrs,” according to the Justice Department. The FBI and Department of Justice were able to arrest Tawhedi and his young co-conspirator before they were able to carry out his attacks.
In its investigation, the FBI uncovered evidence that suggested that he intended to execute the attack on behalf of ISIS. Tawhedi’s phone revealed communications between himself and someone who recruited and trained people for terrorist activity, and investigators found saved ISIS propaganda and contributions to a charity that funnels money to ISIS. As a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in the US, it is illegal for any individual in the US or anyone subject to the jurisdiction of the US to knowingly provide any support or materials to ISIS or any other FTO.
The response of the United States to Tawhedi shows the concerns over extremist violence on US soil, as well as the United States government’s effort to combat terrorism. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made the following comment after Tawhedi’s arrest: “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 terrorize the American people. I am deeply grateful to the public servants of the FBI, National Security Division, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma for their work to disrupt this attack.”
This arrest has led to concerns from some prominent officials that there could be other individuals charged with or suspected of terrorism within the United States. In fact, Tawhedi had passed multiple background checks before entering the United States in 2021 on a Special Immigrants Visa. Austin Doctor, director of the counterterrorism research initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center, said it was unclear if Tawhedi’s radical views started before or after he entered the United States. As the United States presidential election nears, immigration remains a very important policy issue, especially in swing states, particularly states in the Sun Belt and states with large Hispanic and Latino populations. Many Republican politicians are using Tawhedi’s arrest and these concerns to criticize the Biden administration’s immigration and border control policies, showing threats of terrorism can still have an impact on United States elections, even if this threat appears to have been neutralized without any serious repercussions.