Afghan national arrested for planning attack on US Election Day – DW – October 9, 2024

An Afghan citizen was arrested in the US state of Oklahoma for allegedly planning an attack on election day, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

According to the indictment, the 27-year-old planned to provide “material support” to the so-called Islamic State group (IS) and obtained firearms and ammunition in order to “carry out a violent attack on U.S. soil on behalf of the group.” .

The FBI said it found communication between suspect Nasir AT and a person he believed was linked to the Islamic State.

How was the suspect arrested?

Along with an underage co-conspirator, AT took steps to purchase two AK-47 rifles and ammunition from an undercover FBI agent, which led to their arrest.

US authorities did not provide any information about the co-conspirator, who is also reportedly Afghan and AT’s brother-in-law, because he is a minor and therefore subject to special data protection regulations.

In an interview after his arrest, AT reportedly said that the attack targeted large gatherings of people and that he and his co-conspirator should die as martyrs.

AT entered the United States in 2021 under the special immigrant visa program available to individuals who have worked in the U.S. Army or under the direction of the Chief of Mission as a translator or interpreter in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The indictment did not mention whether the Afghan national was actually a translator for U.S. forces.

Lone wolves and small groups pose the greatest threat

FBI Director Christopher Wray praised the arrest.

“I am proud of the men and women of the FBI who uncovered the conspiracy and stopped it before anyone was hurt,” Wray said.

The US Department of Homeland Security said last week that the threat level in the country was expected to remain high due to factors such as the upcoming elections and the war in the Middle East.

“Individual actors and small groups continue to pose the greatest threat,” the department said in a statement, adding that organizations such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda are still attempting to carry out or incite attacks on U.S. soil.

ftm/rmt (Reuters, dpa)

*Editor’s note: DW follows the German Press Code, which emphasizes the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and urges us not to reveal the full names of suspected criminals.