Afghan Citizen To Remain In Federal Custody On Charges Of Planning Election Day Terrorist Attack

New details were revealed in court on Thursday in the government's case against an Afghan citizen charged with planning a terrorist attack on Election Day. In the FBI’s criminal complaint, 27-year-old Nasir Tawhedi admitted to the agents he acted on behalf of the terrorist organization ISIS while living in Oklahoma City.

Tawhedi appeared in federal court in downtown Oklahoma City but remained quiet throughout the preliminary hearing. At times he made eye contact with relatives sitting in the courtroom. United States attorneys presented enough probable cause evidence for the judge to order Tawhedi to stand trial and remain in custody until his trial.

In the United States versus Nasir Tawhedi hearing prosecutors called one witness; a local FBI special agent who questioned Tawhedi after his October 7th arrest. The agent testified the government started surveillance on Tawhedi 45 days before his arrest.

Testimony revealed that Tawhedi had phone contact with an ISIS representative named Abdul Malik. It is alleged Malik directed Tawhedi and his co-conspirator to buy two AK-47s and 500 rounds of ammunition for the Election Day attack. Tawhedi admitted to FBI agents he planned to die as a martyr on that day in the name of ISIS.

The government presented evidence that Tawhedi made cryptocurrency donations to ISIS and was planning to send a portion of the profits from the sale of his wife's family's home in Moore to the ISIS treasury.

Tawhedi has been in the U.S. since 2021 awaiting permanent residence. The Department of Homeland Security revoked Tawhedi's parole status this week.

News 9 learned two of Tawhedi's brothers were recently arrested in France and accused of planning a terrorist attack targeting a soccer match or shopping center.

The judge confirmed in court that Tawhedi worked as a security guard at the CIA's base in Kabul before coming to the U.S.