An Afghan man was arrested in Oklahoma for allegedly plotting a “terrorist attack” on Election Day, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.
According to the indictment, Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City after entering the United States on a special immigrant visa in 2021, was plotting attacks in the name of the Islamic State.
According to the indictment, Tawhedi searched online for information about how to access cameras in the Capitol, Washington, D.C., and states that do not require a license to obtain a gun. He also visited the White House and Washington Monument webcams.
Tawhedi and an underage co-conspirator were arrested on Monday when they met to purchase two AK-47 rifles and ammunition from FBI properties. In his interview after his arrest, Touhedi said that the attack was planned to target a large gathering of people, during which he and his co-conspirators hoped to die as martyrs.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “We will continue to fight the threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to America’s national security, and we will identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who commit crimes against the American people.” Want to terrorize people.”
Last week, in its “Homeland Threat Assessment,” the Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. threat environment is expected to remain high in the coming year due to factors such as the 2024 election cycle and Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Lone criminals and small groups remain the greatest threats,” the department said in an assessment released in October. “Meanwhile, foreign terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State and al Qaeda, maintain their enduring intentions to conduct or inspire attacks in the homeland.” ” 2.
The Islamic State terrorist organization attacked and killed thousands of people in the name of its extreme religious interpretation before being defeated regionally in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019.
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