Grand jury indicts Afghan national in OKC federal court over alleged Election Day plot
The Afghan national accused of an Election Day terrorism plot now faces three felonies that have a total maximum punishment of 55 years in federal prison.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was arrested Oct. 7.
A grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday in Oklahoma City federal court charging him with the three offenses.
He is charged in the first count with conspiring to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization. He is charged in the second count with attempting to provide that support. He is charged in the third count with receiving and conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition to commit terrorism.
He originally had faced two felony counts. His court-appointed attorney questioned the validity of those counts at a preliminary hearing Oct. 17 but has not spoken to the media.
Grand jurors specifically alleged Tawhedi conspired with others since June to provide to ISIS services, money and personnel that included himself. They also alleged he received two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition on Oct. 7 to commit terrorism.
More: New details, French connection emerge in Election Day terrorism case
He and his brother-in-law were arrested after purchasing the rifles and ammunition during a meeting at a rural Oklahoma location, the FBI revealed Oct. 8 in a court affidavit.
Tawhedi admitted after his arrest that he and his brother-in-law bought the guns to commit an attack on Election Day "targeting large gatherings of people," according to the affidavit. He said he and his brother-in-law expected to die in the Nov. 5 attack and be martyrs.
Tawhedi was living with his wife and 1-year-old daughter at an apartment in south Oklahoma City and had been working as an auto mechanic. He arrived in the United States in 2021 and moved to Oklahoma last December.
The brother-in-law has not been identified by the FBI because he is a juvenile. The boy was living at a house in Moore with his parents and siblings. Any prosecution of him in federal court would be done under strict secrecy unless he is charged eventually as an adult.
Tawhedi is married to the boy's sister.
The indictment did not identify the alleged target. The FBI has said Tawhedi on July 25 used his Google account to access webcams for the White House and Washington Monument.
The indictment did reveal that Tawhedi also is known by the last name Azizi.
The alleged plot heightened tensions about the election, and there was an incident Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol.
Police reported Austin Olson, 27, of Westland, Michigan, was arrested after a flare gun and a flame torch were found in his jacket during the screening process to enter the Capitol Visitor Center. Police also reported finding gasoline in a liquor bottle and a drinking container in his backpack.
Olson was charged Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., with unlawful activities.
Olson "stated that he was here to send a message to Congress and the torch and flare gun found in his possession were to 'light up the message in fire,'" a U.S. Capitol Police supervisory special agent reported in a court affidavit.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Afghan national now faces three felonies over alleged terrorism plot
