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An Election Day terrorist attack was narrowly averted after Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a 27-year-old Afghan national, pleaded guilty on Friday to federal terrorism-related charges in connection with a plot to carry out a mass-casualty assault on behalf of the Islamic State (ISIS).

 The planned attack, intended for November 5, 2024, was disrupted by a coordinated effort between federal and local law enforcement.

Tawhedi’s Guilty Plea and Charges

Tawhedi pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma to two felony counts: conspiring and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to receive firearms to commit a federal crime of terrorism. He now faces up to 35 years in federal prison.

“The defendant admits he planned and obtained firearms to carry out a violent terror attack on Election Day,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This plot was detected and disrupted through the good work of the FBI and our partners.”

Court documents revealed Tawhedi and co-conspirator Abdullah Haji Zada, his brother-in-law, purchased two AK-47-style rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and ten magazines from an undercover FBI employee as part of the operation.

The pair was arrested on October 7, 2024, just weeks before the planned attack.

Background: Election Day Terrorist Attack

The plot was uncovered in October 2024. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed that the alleged terrorist arrived on a Special Immigrant Visa issued by the State Department. The State Department indicated that Tawhedi was paroled into the country by DHS.

Tawhedi entered the United States in September 2021 after the Biden administration's disjointed withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

Tawhedi was given a Special Immigration Visa shortly after the Taliban takeover of Kabul. 

 That parole has now been revoked, and he will be permanently removed from the U.S. after completing any sentence.

According to the Justice Department, Tawhedi worked as a rideshare driver and auto shop employee while secretly plotting the Election Day attack. The FBI began surveillance in September 2024, ultimately preventing what could have been a deadly assault.

“By pledging allegiance to ISIS and plotting an attack against innocent Americans… this defendant gravely betrayed the nation that gave him refuge,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

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Zada’s Role and Sentencing

Abdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 years old at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty in April 2025 and is being sentenced as an adult. He faces up to 15 years in prison and will also be deported upon completing his sentence.

“Through incredible law enforcement effort and coordination, a violent terrorist attack on American soil was thwarted,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

Law Enforcement Coordination and Investigation

The case was led by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, with support from local and federal agencies, including:

• Homeland Security Investigations
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
• Oklahoma City Police Department
• Oklahoma City Community College Police

“Thanks to outstanding work... the defendant’s plan to kill innocent Americans in a terrorist attack on Election Day was stopped,” said Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office.

The Justice Department emphasized that Tawhedi and Zada’s plot was an example of how radicalization can occur even among individuals granted refuge by the United States.

Full case details and updates are available from the DOJ, CNN, and KRMG.