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The Department of Justice has announced that an Afghan national has pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges for plotting an ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack on Election Day 2024 in Oklahoma.
Getting into it: According to the DOJ, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a 27-year-old Afghan national, pleaded guilty to two terrorism-related offenses: conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and receiving and attempting to receive firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime of terrorism. Tawhedi admitted to planning a mass-casualty attack on Election Day, with the intent to die as a “martyr” while targeting large crowds of innocent Americans. He conspired with his brother-in-law, Abdullah Haji Zada, to carry out the attack in the name of ISIS, pledging allegiance to the terrorist group and actively coordinating logistics to make the attack deadly and effective.
As part of the plot, Tawhedi and Zada acquired two AK-47-style rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines, all purchased from an undercover FBI agent posing as an arms dealer. Tawhedi also communicated with an ISIS facilitator to discuss whether 500 rounds would be enough for the attack and expressed plans to sell a home to raise additional funds to support ISIS. The two had been preparing for the attack for months, from June to October 2024, and were under FBI surveillance throughout the planning phase. Their arrest on October 7, 2024, came shortly after they completed the weapons purchase, effectively thwarting the plot before it could be executed.
More on his background: Tawhedi had arrived in the US in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. At the time of his arrest, he was residing in Oklahoma City and working as an Uber driver.
For his role in the terror plot, Tawhedi faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison—20 years for the terrorism-related material support charge and 15 years for the firearms offense. His co-conspirator Zada, who was 17 at the time of the crime but charged as an adult, pleaded guilty in April 2025 and faces up to 15 years in prison. Upon completion of their sentences, both men will be permanently removed from the US.
Reactions from US officials: In. a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “By pledging allegiance to ISIS and plotting an attack against innocent Americans on Election Day, this defendant endangered lives and gravely betrayed the nation that gave him refuge. Today’s guilty plea guarantees he will be held accountable, stripped of his immigration status, and permanently removed from the United States, and shows the Justice Department has zero tolerance for those who exploit our freedoms to spread violence.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added, “The defendant admits he planned and obtained firearms to carry out a violent terror attack on Election Day in 2024, a plot that was detected and disrupted through the good work of the FBI and our partners. Let this serve as notice to anyone who tries to conduct attacks in our homeland for ISIS or any other terror group: we will find you and you’ll face American justice. I want to commend the FBI teams and our partners for their hard work and success in executing the mission.”
