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That parole has now been revoked, and he will be permanently removed from the U.S. after completing any sentence.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