The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested an Afghan refugee who allegedly planned to carry out an ISIS-inspired terrorist ...
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested an Afghan refugee who allegedly planned to carry out an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in the United States on Election Day.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a 27-year-old Afghan national who supports the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), arrived in the United States shortly after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in September 2021. At that time, Tawhedi applied for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), a kind of visa offered to those who worked with the U.S. armed forces or those under the chief of mission authority as a translator in Iraq or Afghanistan. However, a Department of Homeland Security(DHS) official said he did not have this visa.
Instead, Tawhedi, like most Afghan refugees, was initially paroled into the country with pending adjudication of his immigration proceedings. This led to the execution of his plans to conduct a terrorist attack in the upcoming elections as a follower of ISIS.
According to the investigation, Tawhedi and his unnamed co-conspirators, including a juvenile brother-in-law, was preparing to sell their family home and other possessions of Facebook. He also arranged international relocation for their families and acquired firearms and ammunition before executing their plans. Tawhedi purchased one-way plane tickets for his mother-in-law, his wife and their daughter, and five siblings of his wife to Kabul, Afghanistan on Oct. 17.
Electronic records revealed that Tawhedi viewed ISIS propaganda and contributed to a charity in Syria known for funneling money to ISIS. He also researched surveillance capabilities in Washington D.C. and checked webcams showing the White House and Washington Monument in July, while seeking areas with lenient gun regulations.
The investigation also revealed that Tawhedi had been purchasing weapons and messaging an associate on Telegram about purchasing two Kalashnikov rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition. Tawhedi and his brother-in-law also received two AK-47 rifles on the day of his arrest on Oct. 7. The conversation also revealed that Tawhedi is set to secure $185,000 on Oct. 15 from selling the house of his father-in-law.
Tawhedi confessed during a post-arrest interview that they had been planning a terrorist attack on Election Day on large gatherings of people and they expected to be "martyred." Now, he remains in custody and made an initial appearance in federal court on Oct. 8, but has not yet entered a plea.
If convicted, Tawhedi will likely face deportation as a priority case for removal due to his alleged ties with ISIS.
Public officials blame the lax vetting protocols of Biden regime
The entry of Tawhedi has sparked debate over the adequacy of the vetting protocols of the Biden administration.
"It is clear they failed to properly vet all refugees, which poses a significant threat to national security," Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Tawhedi is one of many thousands sent to America after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. While it is indisputable that many Afghan refugees are law-abiding and deserve our gratitude for helping U.S. forces as we fought the Taliban, we face the unsettling prospect that Tawhedi is not the only terrorist brought here by our own government."
The Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI) leader Rick "Ozzie" Nelson reiterated the importance of thorough vetting for Afghan nationals on temporary parole.
"Due to the chaotic nature of the Afghanistan evacuation, some people may not have received the thorough vetting they would have under a formalized process. This is why Congress must come together and press for increased vetting of Afghan evacuees who are currently in the United States under temporary parole status," Nelson said.
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