Afghan accused of plotting terror attack worked as CIA guard, officials say
SUMMARY
An Afghan national, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was arrested in Oklahoma on charges of plotting a terrorist attack on Election Day. Officials revealed that Tawhedi had previously worked as a security guard for the CIA in Afghanistan. The FBI is investigating whether he radicalized before or after arriving in the U.S. in September 2021, following the chaotic withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. Court documents indicate Tawhedi planned to carry out the attack using an assault rifle on behalf of ISIS, having contributed to an ISIS charity in March and accessed online propaganda. During his arrest, he reportedly expressed intentions to target large gatherings and indicated a desire to die as a martyr. Tawhedi entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole, which typically involves less rigorous vetting than a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). Officials have noted that he likely had minimal interaction with Americans during his time in Afghanistan and was not a CIA informant.
