US charges Afghan man over 'plotting election day terrorist attack in name of ISIS'

Department of Homeland Security says US threat environment expected to remain high in coming year

The US Department of Justice seal. Bloomberg / Getty Images

An Afghan man has been charged with conspiring to conduct a terrorist attack on election day in the US on behalf of ISIS, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, plotted and attempted to provide material support to ISIS while also obtaining weapons and ammunition to conduct a violent attack.

The purported plan for November 5 involved an attack on a large group of people, in which both Mr Tawhedi and an unidentified underage accomplice expected to die.

The FBI searched Mr Tawhedi’s phone and allegedly found communications between him and a person – whom he believed to be associated with ISIS – who “facilitated recruitment, training and indoctrination of persons who expressed interest in terrorist activity”, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Mr Tawhedi, who entered the US in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, had taken steps in recent weeks to advance his attack plans, including by ordering AK-47 rifles, liquidating his family's assets and buying one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel home to Afghanistan, AP reported.

“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,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Mr Tawhedi has been charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, as well as receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

The Department of Homeland Security last week said the US threat environment was expected to remain high in the coming year due to factors like the election cycle and the Israel-Gaza war.

“Lone offenders and small groups continue to pose the greatest threat. Meanwhile, foreign terrorist organisations, including [ISIS] and Al Qaeda maintain their enduring intent to conduct or inspire attacks in the homeland,” the department said in its assessment, released on October 2.