Oklahoma based Afghan national pleads guilty to Election Day terror plot
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — 27-year-old Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi entered a guilty plea in federal court on Friday.
An Oklahoma judge accepted a two-count plea, declaring Tawhedi guilty to one count of conspiracy and attempt to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically, ISIS.
The second count was for receiving, conspiring to receive, and attempting to receive firearms and ammunition for use in a federal crime of terrorism, specifically conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS.
Tawhedi, living in Oklahoma City, was arrested in October 2024 for planning an Election Day terror attack on behalf of ISIS, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
The DOJ said Tawhedi liquidated his family's assets and resettled his family members in preparation for the attack.
The FBI found messages between Tawhedi and an unnamed person with ties to ISIS. They also reportedly found a video of Tawhedi reading a text to two children that “describes the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife,” as well as saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google account.
Tawhedi walked into a federal courtroom on Friday in an orange jumpsuit with his hands and legs chained together.
"The defendants have now admitted their guilt in this violent conspiracy, which was to be carried out on behalf of ISIS, and they will soon face the consequences," said Doug Goodwater, Special Agent in Charge from the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office.
Under oath, Tawhedi admitted to plotting the Election Day terrorist attack with his brother-in-law, Abudllah Haji Zada, after claiming innocence in November.
Tawhedi said he purchased two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition on October 7, 2024, a month before the 2024 Presidential Election.
Robert Troester, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, said, "These guilty pleas serve as an emphatic reminder that the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue those who attempt to harm Americans through terrorist acts."
A federal judge asked why the attack was planned.
Tawhedi said it was intended to retaliate against the United States Government for supporting Israel during its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Tawhedi also confirmed that the intent of the attack was to kill as many people as possible.
Before agreeing to a plea deal, Tawhedi faced three felony counts, with a maximum sentence of 55 years. He's now pleaded guilty to two felony counts, with a 35-year max sentence.
The date for sentencing has not been announced.