Who Is Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Afghan Man Who Planned ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot on Election Day in US?

Washington DC: An Afghan citizen named Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, living in Oklahoma City was charged on Tuesday with conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, moved to the US in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, which is granted to individuals who assisted US armed forces or worked under the chief of mission authority as translators or interpreters in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The indictment does not clarify whether Tawhedi held such a position in Afghanistan. The Department of Justice has not yet commented on the case.

According to the indictment, Tawhedi conducted online searches for how to access cameras in Washington, DC, and for states that allow firearm purchases without a license. He also explored web cameras for the White House and the Washington Monument.

Tawhedi and an underage co-conspirator, who is his brother-in-law, were arrested on Monday after meeting with FBI informants to purchase two AK-47 rifles and ammunition. 

During a post-arrest interview, Tawhedi stated that their intended attack would target large gatherings, with the expectation that they would die as martyrs.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the government's commitment to combating the threat posed by ISIS and prosecuting those who attempt to terrorize the American public.

The Islamic State militant group has been responsible for the deaths of thousands due to its extremist ideology, although it was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019.